Blackmail
by SilentWhiteRose
Summary: Mana has a very compromising and embarrassing night job to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the Young Master finds out and decides to use it against her. "Accept my offer or everyone just finds out. Your choice."
1. Prologue

Okay, this is an idea I got after watching a clip from an AMV I was making and I realized, the Dark Magician Girl's outfit is so indecent. And this odd idea popped into my head. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! in any shape, way, or form.

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_Blackmail_

Prologue

I HATE HIM!

In fact, "hate" doesn't even begin to describe my feelings in this matter. Especially since the matter revolves around and is Yami Namonaki.

I don't hate him because he's rich, or self-centered. Not even if he is one of the cockiest kids in school, second only to his stupid cousin. Hell, I don't even care about that stupid uniform he gave me to wear.

Although that outfit was ridiculous but that's beside the point! Out of all the years I've known him, Yami was never this much of a jerk. His name's not even Yami Namonaki! I only found out recently that his name was Atemu Montu, not Yami and that's the name I've heard since I was ten which is how long I've known him.

But out of all the times that I've seen him and talked to him, which really isn't that many, he was always completely unemotional and somewhat considerate. Tonight however, Yami did the most cruelest thing imaginable.

He... asked me to be his girlfriend.

And no, it's not the happiest news in the world for a number of reasons.

Number one, him and I are completely different creatures. I mean, his entire family can be traced back to royalty and he even looks the part. Even at school, they call him "Pharaoh" giving him more of a regal outlook. Yami is unattainable and me... well, I'm just an orphan struggling to make ends meet. The only reason we even go to school together is because... actually, I don't really know why. Sure, I may look like his type but I can't even compare to his prestigious status.

Number two, I WORK FOR HIM! That should be self-explanatory enough and if it isn't, then I don't know what is. I got that job out of pity and a little white lie that was told and by the time I found out that he was the son of the owner, it was too late to quit. Ever since that unfortunate day, I kept thinking that it wouldn't be that bad but I guess I can change that now!

The last reason and the most important of all is that... he's blackmailing me! And at the event in question, I didn't even know it was him and he didn't know it was me. Why did he even ask me to do _that_ for him? It doesn't make any sense.

Now he's asking me to be his girlfriend otherwise he'll tell everyone exactly what my second job is. I don't want to be his girl, but I don't want the entire school to know about what I do to make rent.

Damn you Atemu, Yami... whatever your frigging name is! Damn you to hell!

* * *

And no, I'm not telling any of you what her job is... that's a secret, for now anyways. Hope you like it and in case you hadn't figured it out, this was in Mana's point of view. Just the prologue, and it'll make more sense later on. Tell me how you liked it!


	2. First Encounters

Alright, well here is the official first chapter and it's told the POV of everyone so please enjoy.

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Chapter One: First Encounters

**Two Months Earlier**

Mana walked down the quiet, empty halls of Domino High. At the moment, school wasn't going to start for another hour so as usual; she would be one of the first in the class. Of course, she never minded this because the quiet classroom was a good place to just sit and think. Mana walked further down until she reached Class 3-1. She slid the door open and paused a second before sitting down. There was a bag there, laying carelessly on the second seat in the third row. Only one person sat in that seat.

"Mana?"

She turned around and saw the owner of the bag standing in front of her. "Hey Yami, good morning." He nodded and moved past her back to his seat. "So... when did you get here?"

"30 minutes ago, I think I'm not really sure of the time." Mana walked in and set her stuff down on her desk which was in the fourth row, third seat. "Tell me something Mana; are you always here this early?" She looked up and saw Yami turned toward her, his eyes on hers.

"Yeah, the bus I take leaves at a specific time so if I don't catch the 6:00, then the next available one is 7:45. And that's when school starts. So yeah, why are you here?"

"I felt like coming early." He turned and grabbed a book from his bag and began to read it. Mana also reached into her bag and grabbed her notebook, trying to finish her homework from the night before. _Damn it! This is too hard... _"Something wrong?"

Mana looked up and saw Yami standing next to her. She nodded slowly. "Yeah, it's the trig homework. I don't really get it. Yami, can you help me? I'll be eternally grateful."

He stared down at the homework page and chuckled. "Why do you assume I can help you? Maybe I thought it was too hard and just ditched the assignment."

She narrowed her eyes and gripped her pencil angrily. "You have the highest grade in our trig class; even if you didn't do the homework you still know how to do it." She groaned in frustration and shook her head. "Just forget it." Mana took out her calculator and tried frantically to get the answer she wanted.

Instead of going back to his seat, he stayed and watched her try to finish the homework she deemed impossible. "You're supposed to use cosine, not tangent." Yami's voice broke the silence as he grabbed the calculator from her and began to work out the problem.

Mana raised a brow and shook her head in confusion. "That's wrong. If I was going to use that, then..." She trailed off, trying to do the math in her head.

Yami handed her the calculator. "The answers 54.5, not 96.7 which is what you would get with tangent." Mana worked it out just like he said and was surprised to see that he was right. "If you need more help, just ask. I'll help you."

Mana dropped her pencil on her paper and started to put away her materials. "No, I don't want to impose."

"... you can impose all you want. I don't mind."

Before she had a chance to react, the door was opened and Seto Kaiba, Yami's arch rival, walked in. _Ugh, great. I hate that guy! _Mana thought grimly. "Well, if it isn't short-stuff. How's it hanging shrimp?"

Yami smirked and tapped his fingertips against his desk with irritation written all over his face. "Just fine. How's that ego of yours? Must be pretty damaged due to that devastating loss of rank. I mean, to be second to me is a pretty big honor in itself. Wouldn't you say, Seto?"

Mana sighed and took out her textbook from her desk to read so she wouldn't have to listen to those two. It was odd; they hung out with the same people and had somewhat the same interests but argued like cat and mouse. Actually, it wasn't as bad as the arguments between Jounouchi and Seto but these were just as annoying. It wouldn't matter though since Seto's girlfriend, Kisara, usually kept him from going overboard. However, she had yet to come....

"Porcupine head."

"Super nerd."

"Why don't you get a girl?"

"Why don't you get laid?"

"How about you get that stick out your ass?"

"How about I stick it up yours?"

Mana growled. "How about you both shut up!" Yami and Seto looked behind them and saw the anger and annoyance flashing in Mana's eyes. Seto walked over to his desk which was fifth row, fourth desk and set his stuff down. "Gosh, you both are so irritating. Honestly, do you really need to snap at each other every chance you get?" With the three of them in there, the room became quiet quick. Yami was busy writing things down inside one of his notebooks, Seto was looking over a couple of charts and Mana was just soaking in the relaxing silence.

Soon, more people came into the class and Seto and Yami had another reason to interact but this time Kisara was around to stop it. Mana was oh so grateful. But then again, she did have to deal with Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor. Without a doubt, they had to be the most annoying duo in the school. And the worst part was... she sat between them. Most days, they would talk about Duel Monsters or trying to get laid. And then there were days they ended up flirting with her.

This was one of those days.

"Hey beautiful, I'd like to kiss you passionately on the lips then move up to your belly button."

"Mana, if I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?"

"I may not be the hottest guy here, but I'm the only one talking to you."

"Shut up Rex! Mana's only got eyes for me!"

"Ha! Get real! Why would she want your tiny bug when she can have my King Rex?" He winked in Mana's direction and every word that came out of their mouths made her cringe. _Oh well, at least it's only till the next term... or the teacher gets bored of the seating arraignment. Whichever one comes first._

Yami turned around and faced Weevil who sat directly behind him. "Both you and Rex save your pathetic pick-up lines for another time. It's annoying me." His piercing red eyes went right them, showing off his obvious hate for them.

Rex and Weevil gulped nervously and nodded. "Sorry Pharaoh. We won't do it again in your presence." Once he was satisfied that they were telling the truth, Yami turned back to his original position.

Mana giggled at Yami's serious face from when he scolded the duo. He looked mostly angry, not annoyed but she could never tell the difference between his emotions. That is, whenever he did show his emotions. Pharaoh Yami (as he was called in school) was an emotionless heart-throb, at least that's what all the other girls screamed about.

() () () () () () () () ()

_Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap, I'm late!!_

Mana ran faster through the streets, hoping to make it to the restaurant before her boss noticed that she was almost ten minutes late. However, the restaurant was at least another 20 minutes away. She made a mental note to kill Jounouchi, Duke, and Honda for making such a big mess at the final 7 minutes of class arguing over Shizuka, Jounouchi's little sister. Duke and Honda both had a huge crush on her, but Jounouchi being the over-protective big brother that he is, decided to try and strangle them in class making a complete mess of things. Which in turn, their teacher gave the class a big lecture and forced them to clean the room till it shined brilliantly.

_If I cut through that alley, I can cut a good 6 minutes off the way. _Mana took off from the sidewalk and ran clear into the street where another car was approaching her. She heard a loud honking and the car hit her, sending her to the ground. A loud groan was heard as the pain coursed through her body. _I'm gonna feel this in the morning....._

"OH MY GOD!" A man got out of the car and ran toward the girl he thought he ran over. "Are you okay? Please say something, say you're not dead." He helped Mana up, who was clutching onto her lower back and biting her lip trying to hide her pain.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"Do you need the paramedics or something?"

"No, no... this sort of thing happens a lot." Mana walked away slowly. "I'll be fine, I just have to go." Before she walked any further, the man grabbed her wrist preventing her from moving anywhere. She couldn't even try to get away from his grip since she felt weaker than she had moments ago.

The man looked at her with apologetic eyes and guilt all over his face. "Please, let me know you are alright. At least lemme give you a ride to where you need to go."

Mana's eyes went wide with hope, maybe she could get to work and her boss would understand why she was late if this guy explained that he hit her with his car. Good thing the injury felt only like a bruise, she would check it later just to be sure. "A ride? Are you sure?"

"Of course, it's the least I can do." He extended his hand back to his car and opened the front seat, helping her in. He quickly walked around and entered the driver's seat. "Where to?"

"Burger World and can you hurry it up? I'm a little late."

"Sure." He started the car and began to drive at the request of the continuous honking of cars that were behind him. Soon enough, they stopped at a red light and silence filled the car along with an awkward feeling. The man tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, hoping the break the eerie tension in the car. "....... I'm Mahado Shintu, just so you know who to sue. And may I suggest that you don't. "

Mana shook her head and chuckled a bit at his nervousness. "No, I don't wanna sue. I just need to get to my job, I'm a bit late."

He snickered in disbelief. "Oh come now, I'm sure your boss will understand the late part." The light turned green and he drove again, taking a left turn quickly. "I mean, you're only late by what 5 minutes or something?"

"15 minutes."

"Oh."

"Can you do me another favor?" Mahado nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. "Will you explain that part to my boss so he'll believe me?"

Mahado muttered a quick yes as he arrived at the Burger World parking lot and took the available spot at the front. He stepped out of the driver's seat and walked around to open Mana's. "Here you go miss."

She smiled and walked inside with Mahado right behind her, seeing her boss right at the front desk. "You're late.... again."

"I know, sir and I'm so sorry but I would have been here sooner if this man," she nudged Mahado lightly with her elbow, "hadn't hit me with his car."

He nodded. "Yes, I hit her with my car so please don't punish her for this." Mahado scratched the side of his head, hoping he wouldn't be late because of this girl.

Mana's boss shook his head and took her by the elbow, dragging her off to the side. Mahado had a bad feeling about this, especially since the look on the boss' face looked deathly serious. Unfortunately, Mana had the same thought. _Great, he'll probably make me work overtime again. _"Mana, you are a great employee and don't get me wrong we all love having you here."

She felt uneasy, rubbing her forearm with the worry traveling throughout her body. "If you're gonna punish me, I guess I..."

The boss interrupted her. "That's not it. You're fired."

Mana's jaw dropped and she couldn't even contain herself once the words came out of his mouth. "You're kidding me? Just because I was late again, it gives you no reason to fire me. It was just an extenuated situation; it won't happen again I swear. I really need this job."

"You are a liability waiting to happen. The most complaints from customers are about you."

"May I remind you those were male customers that were hitting on me and I rejected them?!" Her anger was boiling and she clenched her fists tightly, trying to contain it. Before he opened his mouth, Mana spoke again. "And that guy from last week doesn't count."

"You broke his nose!"

"He slapped my ass!"

By now, a couple of people in the restaurant turned around since her voice was slightly elevated thanks to her darkening mood. Mana lowered her head in defeat and ran out of the restaurant, knowing full well that she could never persuade her boss into reconsidering his decision. Tears began to flow out of her eyes and down her cheeks, too busy to realize that someone had run after her. A hand touched her shoulder and it was filled with comfort. She turned and saw that it was Mahado, the stranger that almost killed her and was nice enough to give her a ride. Mana cried even more and slumped against a brick wall and down to the ground. "Hey miss; it's just a fast-food place. I'm sure you'll find another job like that." Mahado snapped his fingers, trying to get her to feel better. "It's not the end of the world."

She raised her hand up and wiped away a few of her tears. "It's the end of my world. I needed that job to get the amount of money that covers rent, food, clothes and all that junk. My second job only covers at least half of that. What am I gonna do?" Mana pushed her knees against her chest and buried her face in her arms, the sobs still evident. Mahado stared at this girl and couldn't help but want to comfort her. Sure it was probably a crummy job, but it seemed as though she really needed that crummy job. He bent down to her level and pulled her face up gently.

"You don't need to work so hard, you're just a kid. Try to relax and not put so much pressure on yourself. Your parents will understand."

"Look, you're really nice and all but I don't expect you to understand." She sniffled and wiped away another tear. "So thank you for the ride, you can go now."

But instead, Mahado didn't leave. "How about you let me help you? I feel as though this is somewhat my fault, so I want to offer you something." He pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to Mana. She took it hesitantly and stared at it for a few seconds before looking back at him with confusion written all over her face.

"But it's not your fault. Mahado-san, you don't owe me anything."

"I want to do this. And you can just call me Mahado. If you come tomorrow to this address, then I can help you with your job issue. Which reminds me; I never got your name."

Mana smiled and stood back up on her feet, feeling better and more optimistic than she had been moments ago. "It's Mana Kurosaki and um... what time should I come?"

He thought for a bit and answered. "Around 1:30 I suppose. Don't be late, alright." Mana nodded and walked off in some other direction until she was finally at the bus stop. _Oh god, should I go? I mean, this seems all too perfect. What if he's some pervert... no, he doesn't look like that type and Mahado really does seem sincere. _

Mahado watched her go to the bus stop and figured that was how she was going to reach her home. Why was he doing this? Lots of people didn't have jobs, she wasn't anything special. And yet... he wanted to. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to his car, hoping the master would understand why he wasn't at the house yet.

() () () () () () () () ()

"MAHADO! WHERE ARE YOU?"

This was the first thing Mahado heard the moment he entered inside the mansion of his employer. Already, he knew who it was and hadn't bothered to hesitate as he ran upstairs to take care of whatever problem it was. "Young Master Atemu, how can I help you?"

"There you are! I was calling you like crazy; I thought you died for a second there." They both shared a laugh. "Anyway, can you help me with this tie? My dad has that benefit today, remember? So... please?"

"Of course Young Master." Mahado walked inside Atemu's room and helped him with his tie. He chuckled slightly as he saw the color of the tie was crimson, the same color of the boy's eyes. It was the only colorful thing he was wearing since his entire suit was the blackest black, but then again... with Atemu's hair he didn't even need to have color. "So, anything new happen today?"

"My dad's insisting on me getting a girlfriend because, and I quote **'It's odd for a boy at your age to not have one.' **And then he brings up the part about Seto having one, so it should be cake for me." Atemu rolled his eyes as Mahado finished tying his tie into a loose, but fashionable knot. He turned and straightened up his jacket, brushing off some lint on his sleeve. "And then he starts saying that he needs to get a replacement for my caretaker since you have so graciously accepted another job that doesn't involve me."

"Sorry Young Master, a better job in this household was offered to me and I took it. Not that I think being your babysitter isn't the funnest job alive." Mahado added a hint of sarcasm to the final part and Atemu let out a fake chuckle.

"But can you tell my dad I am too old for a caretaker? I mean, I'm 17 and soon to be 18 in just two months. Please, talk to him!" Atemu walked past him and ran downstairs as he heard the car honking from outside. Mahado stayed in the same spot, contemplating on the boy's request on a caretaker. He shook his head and smiled.

_Sorry Atemu, but I have the perfect person for the job....

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_

Oh gosh, Mana gets fired and Mahado comes to the rescue! Gee, I wonder who the person Mahado has in mind (hint hint). So more characters will be introduced in the next chapter and I think I will update on Sundays or Saturdays just because I get a whole week to write a chapter. So that's my plan for now. Review please! XD


	3. New Job

Okay, well... this chapter shall have more characters, interactions, and one rather awkward situation involving a bathroom. If you want to try and guess what Mana's second job is... go ahead. I would love to hear your guesses. I forgot to mention this in the last two chapters but... I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! In any way, shape, or form.

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Chapter Two: New Job

Mana opened the door to her empty apartment, sending her bag down in the dark corner where her shoes were. She entered and landed on her couch, exhausted from the events that occurred. She sat up and took her tips out of her pocket, counting them slowly.

_10... 35... 50... 70. _A look of disappointment covered her features as she set the bills down on the table. If she hadn't been distracted by the news she received earlier, then she probably would be holding about 150 dollars but instead only had 70. The rent could be covered easily, but she still needed food and unfortunately that was scarce in her home.

_Home..._

Mana grabbed the blanket and placed it over her body for warmth. This wasn't her home, far from it. If this was home, her little brother and parents would be with her. She wouldn't have to work so hard if it hadn't been for that burglary three years ago. In fact, she wouldn't have a care in the world if this was her home.

But she did and it wasn't.

Mana looked at the card that was beside the money. It belonged to Mahado Shintu and tomorrow, she would go to the address that was written on there. _I wonder what the job is, hopefully something good. _She kicked the blanket away from her and walked to the bathroom, turning on the bathwater. There was hardly any hot water left, but she didn't care. The uncomfortable feeling made her skin crawl and she wanted it gone. _Five showers should do it..._

Perhaps going to Mahado tomorrow wasn't such a bad idea...

() () () () () () () () ()

As Mahado walked to the front of the house to see the young master off, he glanced down at his watch. _1:15, great. _Mana, the girl he had met the other day, would hopefully be coming in another fifteen minutes. Now he was in the foyer and saw Atemu fixing his neck belt. "Oh Mahado, there you are. I'm going out with Jounouchi and Yugi for the day and then we're gonna come back here for dinner."

"Make sure to have your phone on at all times, Young Master." Mahado mentioned as he handed Atemu one of his jackets, which was made of black leather. "And may I ask why you insist on wearing so much leather even on a warm day like this?"

Atemu took the jacket and put it on with a smirk. "Fashion Mahado, fashion." He sat down on a nearby chair and began to put on a pair of black boots. "And before I forget, did you remember to talk to my dad about the caretaker issue?" Mahado nodded slowly and Atemu smiled as he stood up. "Well, what did he say?"

"Do you wish for me to quote him?"

"Yes, that would be lovely." Atemu crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot against the marble floor.

Mahado cleared his throat and smiled as he imagined the Young Master's reaction. "Well, your father said '**As long as Atemu lives under this roof, he shall have a caretaker.' **In fact, I shall be interviewing a candidate today."

He looked to see what was Atemu's reaction was and it was exactly what he suspected it to be. Utterly disappointed and shocked Atemu had hoped his father would be much more reasonable than that but alas; he would be doomed to be treated as a child until he moved out of his father's house. Instead of protesting like he usually would, Atemu turned and left his house going in the direction of Yugi's house since that was where he was supposed to meet them. Mahado couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for darkening the teen's mood. He went back to the kitchen to kill about thirteen minutes. "Mahado, what's wrong with you?"

Mahado shook his head and laughed. "Nothing much Karim. Just the usual, brought the bad news upon the Young Master and got him mad. Some old." Karim laughed a little and handed Mahado his lunch, which was a sub without pickles since he hated pickles. "Where are Isis and Shada?"

Karim took out a knife and split the sub down the middle, taking half of it and putting it on another plate for himself. "I think Isis is out back tending to the garden and Shada should be in the garage checking on the cars since the Master thinks something's wrong with one of them. Why?" He took a bit of his sandwich and grabbed the soda and poured it into two cups, handing one to Mahado who took a sip.

"Well, there's someone coming over who I shall be interviewing to be Atemu's caretaker. And I wanted you all to meet her." Karim choked on his food and coughed a bit in order to breathe again. "Are you okay?" Mahado asked with concern and handed Karim his soda, which he gulped down quickly. "What's wrong with you?"

Karim inhaled heavily to try and get his breath back. "Did you just say... that a... girl was... coming over?"

Mahado nodded, his worry dissipating while confusion appeared. "Yes, why does that matter?"

"You really don't get it, do you?"

Mahado shrugged his shoulders. "Should I?" Before Karim had a chance to explain, the doorbell rang breaking up their conversation. "Oh, there she is. Go get Isis and Shada." Karim groaned and walked off away from his friend to find the people he was looking for. _This should be damn good..._

() () () () () () () () ()

Mana stood outside the large door, fidgeting in place as she took in her surroundings. This house, or rather mansion, had to be one of the largest there which obviously pointed to the fact that she was in the richer part of town. _Oh gosh, I knew I shouldn't have come. I'll stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe I should... _She was knocked out of her thoughts the moment her eyes caught sight of the door opening, revealing a somewhat familiar face. Mana chuckled nervously as she began to realize that she was worrying over nothing. "Good afternoon, Mahado-san. For a second there, I thought I had the wrong house." She giggled, trying to break off her tension.

He gave a smile. "Yes, well... why don't you come on inside?" Mahado opened the door wider and she entered, becoming mesmerized by the beauty of the interior of the house.

"Your home is beautiful Mahado-san." She took off her jacket and held it in her arms to be polite.

"My what...?" He looked kind of stunned. "What did you say?"

Mana walked around the foyer, not listening to a single word that he had uttered. _Wow, so this is how the other half lives. Now I really want to know what the mystery job is. S_he felt a tap on her shoulder which knocked her out of her thoughts. "What was that for?"

"Sorry." Mahado apologized and took her coat from her arms. He walked over to the closet under the stairs and hung it up for her. "You weren't answering when I asked you what you said."

"Oh right, I said you have a very pretty home." Mahado laughed a little and led her toward the living room. The room was decorated with cardinal red walls and two cream colored couches which held two black pillows each. There were various statues resting on the tables and a few family pictures, but not as many as there should be.

He held his hand out, gesturing her to sit. Mana took the hint and sat down on the couch on the right of one of the tables. "Well, thanks for the compliment but this isn't my home.

"It's not? Then whose is it?"

Before Mahado answered, more people came into the room. "So this is the girl?" Mahado and Mana turned their attention to the new people in the room. "Come on, Mahado. Introduce us"

"Alright fine." He helped Mana up and guided her toward the people. "Mana, this is Karim. He's the chef here, pretty much in charge of the kitchen."

"Hi." Mana extended her arm out nervously and Karim shook hers. Karim was a tall man, with black hair reaching to where his neck and head met. He appeared serious, but she could tell that he had a funny side by the way he smiled.

Mahado led her over to the next person who appeared to be the same height and age as Karim, but this man was bald and had strange tattoos on his head. "Hello Mana, I'm Shada."

She shook his hand too. Unlike Karim, he seemed to be very serious or strict, either way she felt a bit nervous around him more. "Shada is the driver or chauffeur, to be more specific. Now," he walked towards the last person who was a woman. Mahado gave a small kiss on the woman's cheek and she smiled warmly to him. "This is Isis, my fiancée and around here she is the gardener."

"Um, hi. Nice to meet you."

Isis stared at her for a few moments and turned back to Mahado. "Doesn't she seem a little young to be working here?" Mahado grabbed Isis by the wrists and dragged her off to another room to talk to her, leaving Mana alone with Karim and Shada.

"So," Mana spoke, "What's Mahado's job here?"

Karim started to answer for her while Shada took a seat on one of the chairs. "Well, Mahado originally was the Young Master's caretaker-"

"Babysitter." Shada interrupted and Karim laughed a little.

"Yeah, that's another name for it. But the Master recently promoted Mahado to head of the house. So now he has to find a replacement for himself."

Mana sighed and sat back down. _A babysitter? Doesn't seem that bad of a job, but I have this strange feeling that I should just leave. _Mahado came back with Isis, who had an annoyed look which must have been from Mahado. "It was nice to meet you Mana, but we all have to get back to work." Isis spoke firmly and dragged Karim and Shada back with her, and neither seemed to be too happy about it.

Now Mahado and Mana were alone in the room, and Mahado appeared to be slightly worn out. "So you asked me to come here to be a babysitter?"

"Shada and Karim told you the details, I assume." She nodded and he grabbed a picture that was on a nearby table. "This is the Young Master and his father." He handed it Mana who examined it. She didn't pay much attention to the father, but to the child clinging to him. He had wild, spiky hair which was red at the tips and had blond bangs with three sticking up like lightening. The rest of his hair was a deep black. There were only two people she knew with hair that crazy. She couldn't see what color his eyes were since they were closed, unaware that he was being photographed.

"What's his name?" Mana asked lowly, wondering if the child was related to one of the boys she knew since he looked liked them.

"Atemu Montu."

_Guess not. _"How old is he?"

Mana was pointing to the picture so he assumed she was referring to the photo. "About five." She handed it back to him and thought very carefully about the job. _The kid's pretty young, but seems to be a playful child. The hair is a coincidence, I suppose and with a house like this the pay must be pretty good._

"I think I'll take the job."

"Excellent." He sat next to her, picking up a paper with lots of pre-typed questions, which is what she assumed to be the interview questions. "Before I hire you, you have to answer a series of questions as honestly as you can. May I begin?" Mana nodded and leaned forward to concentrate more. Mahado looked at the questions and scanned it quickly. "How old are you?"

"17."

"Really?!" His eyes went wide. "Only 17? I thought you were at least 19 or 20 by your job schedule."

"Nope. Is my age a problem?"

Mahado chuckled nervously. _Maybe I should just tell her to go. _But he took that thought out of his mind the moment he remembered how much she was crying over losing a job at a fast food place. He did say he would help her... "No, it's not a problem at all. Have you ever been or currently involved in illicit activities?"

"Define illicit?"

"Drugs, drinking, gangs, prostitution... things like that."

"No."

"Have you ever been arrested?"

"No."

"Do you have any problems with drugs?"

"No."

"Have you been diagnosed with any diseases that can be transferred by person to person contract?"

"No. What kind of questions are these?" Mana yelled out, wondering if she was being interviewed for a babysitting job or guarding a celebrity.

Mahado set the paper aside and laughed. "Sorry about that, my boss is very protective over his son. The rest of the questions I don't have to ask since the background check will cover it."

Mana's face paled at the very words. She gulped and scratched her head. "Background check? Why do you need to do that?"

"To make sure you're not insane or a danger to the Master, his son or anyone else here." His expression changed drastically as he examined how quickly her features became riddled with agitation and fear. "Mana, if there is anything wrong you should tell me now."

She couldn't tell him what was so wrong about getting a background check for her. Maybe they'll overlook that small detail. Then again, Mahado's boss seemed to be a very rich person meaning that he could have another person for this job in an instant. She had to tell; maybe she'll get credit in her defense. "Yeah, actually I have a bit of a problem with it."

Mahado raised a brow in suspicion. The only types of people who refused background checks were druggies and convicts. "What is it?"

"My second job isn't exactly... not covered under the illicit category."

"What do you mean?"

Mana sighed and stared at the ground, ashamed of what she was about to tell him.

() () () () () () () () ()

Karim stared at the wall, tapping his foot against the tile floor which was making a rather loud noise. "Would it kill you to stop tapping your foot for at least five minutes?" Karim looked up and saw Shada's eyes practically burning a hole through him. He stopped and met his friend's death glare.

"It's quiet, and I don't like the silence."

"Will you both cool it?" Both noticed that Isis finally talked for what seemed like ages.

"Did you notice that Mana girl was pretty?"

"Yeah, pretty _young_ Karim. You ever heard of something called statutory rape?"

"That's not what I meant!" Karim stood up; a faint blush tinted his cheeks. Shada laughed at him but was silenced as Isis hit his shoulder and sent him a stern look. Karim smiled at Isis and sat back down. "I mean to say that the Young Master is a teenager and boys his age tend to have things called raging hormones. And you know sometimes the urge just has to come out."

Isis laughed. "Young Master Atemu would never do anything disgraceful as that, especially in his father's home."

"Karim is right though. She is pretty and the Young Master is only human."

"You are both lunatics. Mahado would never consider her a candidate if he didn't think Atemu had self-control. Honestly, where do you two come up with ideas such as these?" Karim and Shada shrugged at her question and merely decided to ignore it.

() () () () () () () () ()

Mahado stared at Mana in utter shock and disbelief. He couldn't even think about any responses that could come from it. How could someone like her become so desperate as to get a job working as a....

His mind refused to believe it, let alone think it. "Doing that actually does constitute a problem for this. Especially since that's the first thing to be noticed on a background check."

Mana lowered her head and stood up slowly. "I should be going now, so thanks anyway Mahado-san." The smile she gave was fake, meant to mask her disappointment.

"No, don't. I said I would help you, so I'll keep that promise."

"You don't even know me! Why are you being so nice to a complete stranger?" Mahado stared at Mana's disgruntled face and couldn't help but feel even more sorry for her. He had only met her yesterday, so he shouldn't be trying so hard to make amends for hitting her with his car. In fact, she wasn't even injured badly in that little accident.

Mahado shook his head, trying to think of why he was feeling this way. "I don't really know why. I just... feel like I have to do this."

Mana scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not some charity case Mahado-san; I can take care of myself." She walked toward the closet and opened it, grabbing her jacket from there and headed for the door. Before she could get any farther, a hand was gripping her wrist.

She tried to free herself from the grip, but it was useless. "I think... I know how you can get this job without doing a background check."

"How?" Her features held some doubt while her tone released a bit of hope.

Mahado smirked and freed her arm. "The Master won't do background checks on family members."

"I'm not related to him."

"Will you let me finish?" Mana sighed and nodded, not planning on interrupting him anytime soon. "If you're related to someone on the staff, then all they have to do is vouch for you. The Master trusts our word, so there won't be any questions or moments of doubt."

"So how's that going to work?" Mana asked, wondering exactly who she was going to have to be _related_ to.

He let out a toothy grin. "You could be my cousin and since he trusts my word more than his own son, it shouldn't be a problem. Want to?"

() () () () () () () () ()

"Shada, I betcha fifty bucks that Atemu tries something when he sees Mana."

"You're on." Shada laughed, thinking of the easy money he was going to make.

Isis frowned and rolled her eyes at the very notion. "You two are so immature, act your own age for once."

And once again, Karim and Shada ignored Isis' advice for their own entertainment. Isis continued to peel the skin of the fruit while Karim chopped it up and put them inside the blender. "Whatcha doing?" All three looked up to see Mana and Mahado entering the kitchen.

"Smoothies." Shada answered lowly. "If you are still here, I assume that Mahado decided to hire you."

Mana nodded with a wide grin on her face. "Mahado says that Mr. Montu has to approve of his decision, but that shouldn't be a problem."

Shada gave her a thumbs-up and grabbed five cups from the cabinet to get the finished smoothies. "Mana, you look really young. How old are you?"

"I'm 17."

Isis and Karim froze in place while Mahado poured himself a drink and Shada nodded ever so slowly. "That is interesting. So which school do you go to?" Mahado took a sip of his smoothie while the other two unfroze and poured themselves a drink.

Mana set her cup down, tapping her fingernails against the counter-top. "Domino High School." Mahado choked on his drink, Karim and Isis dropped their own drinks and Shada stared at the confused girls with eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Something wrong with that?"

"Um, no. It's just that-" Mahado covered Isis' mouth to prevent her from commenting further.

"No reason whatsoever. Right?" He eyed the other two who nodded in fake agreement with him. Before Mana could question it, the phone rang and Isis pushed Mahado's hand away and went over to answer it. Mana's eyes wondered to the other three who seemed to be conversing with their eyes. Mahado had a weird reaction the moment she said her age and just now when she mentioned what school she attended, they all acted as though it was the ultimate taboo to go to Domino. _What's up with them?_

"Alright, that was the Young Master." Isis said, breaking up Shada, Karim, and Mahado's silent conversation. "He said he'll be over here in about five to ten minutes."

Mahado gulped nervously. _Damn it! I hadn't expected her to go the same school as Atemu. What if they know each other? Oh crap, I gotta get her outta here. _He thought quickly and grabbed his smoothie, thrusting the contents towards Mana. She stiffened as the cold drink soaked her clothes. "Oh Mana, I am so sorry! That was a complete accident, I swear."

"No... it's fine." Mana was doing her best not to strangle Mahado for practically throwing a drink on her. Isis walked over to her and led her out of the kitchen. "Where are you taking me?"

They began to walk up the stairs. "You can stay in the bathroom while I go fetch some clothes for you to wear so I can wash the ones you are wearing." Mana smiled and muttered a small thank you. They finally reached the bathroom and Isis handed her a towel so she wouldn't have to stand around naked. Isis turned and Mana undressed down to her undergarments and picked up the towel to wrap it around her body. She handed Isis her clothes and she left, making the younger girl alone in the bathroom.

() () () () () () () () ()

"I'M HOME!" Atemu yelled out as he and Yugi entered through the front door. Mahado instantly came and smiled nervously at the two. Both gave him odd looks as they handed him their coats.

"What's with him?"

"I haven't the faintest idea." They whispered to each other and laughed while Mahado put the coats away, silently hoping that Isis got Mana to leave. "Mahado," he looked up and saw that it was Atemu who called his name, "I'm gonna go take a shower, can you feed Yugi?"

"No, it's okay. I'm not that hungry."

"Nonsense, it's no trouble at all. Let Atemu take his shower while we enjoy chocolate cake." Yugi's grin turned wider than a four-year-old at Christmastime. Atemu frowned and went up the stairs to his bathroom. _Oh crap, I forgot Mahado had an interview with that new caretaker. Wonder how that went...?_ He reached his bathroom and opened the door, freezing at the doorway as his eyes took notice of the girl inside. "Mana....?" She was wearing nothing but a towel and, he assumed, her undergarments.

She turned at the moment someone called her name and thought it was Isis for a second there with clothes for her to wear, but the voice came from a person with a much deeper voice. Her eyes widened as far as they could the moment she saw that it was Yami standing at the doorway. _What is he doing here?_

Neither one moved since both were in complete shock, not expecting to see the other. Atemu's mind finally unfroze and realized the worse part of this situation. _If she's here, then everyone else met her and...! _Atemu couldn't stand the thought of her knowing who he really was so he grabbed her by her wrist and began whispering in a panicked tone. "Mana, come on! You have to get out here."

She struggled against him. "Yami, let go of me!" He grabbed her other wrist, trying to get her out of the bathroom. Both ended up struggling against the other and fell to the ground with Mana's back against the tiles. Atemu's legs straddled her hips as he tried to calm her down. "Let me go!"

"Stop... moving!" He finally got control of her wrist and pinned her arms down to the ground, both panting heavily now and not noticing that Mana's towel had become loose or how bad the position they were in looked.

() () () () () () () () ()

"Hey Karim, does the Young Master have any old clothes that are a little big for him?"

"Check in the back of his closet, that's where he would keep them. Why?"

"Mana's in the bathroom and I need to get her something to wear."

"Oh." Isis nodded and went back up to find the clothes as Mahado and Yugi passed her. "Hey Yugi-kun, how you doing?"

"Pretty good, Mahado told me you have chocolate cake. Can I get some?" He smiled politely as Karim went to the fridge to take it out.

He got it out and a knife to cut out a piece for Yugi. "So where is Young Atemu? I thought he was with you?"

"He said something about a shower."

Karim's eyes widened and just when he was about to comment, they heard yelling coming from upstairs. _**"Let me go!" **_Mahado and Karim realized what was happened and ran up the stairs to the Young Master's bathroom. They stopped at the open doorway and saw Atemu had pinned Mana to the floor and her towel became loose. **"Young Master!" **Both Mahado and Karim yelled out, catching Atemu and Mana's attention.

The boy turned and finally began to see how bad the situation looked. He released Mana's wrist only to be slapped hard across the face the second he let go. He got off of her and clutched onto his reddened cheek in pain. "Mana, are you alright?" Mahado asked as he helped her up, trying not to pay attention to Atemu.

She fixed her towel quickly and pointed toward Atemu. "He tried to rape me!"

"I did not!" Atemu yelled out in his defense. Karim grabbed another towel that was hanging around and dampened it to press it against the Young Master's swollen cheek. "I was only trying to get her to leave."

"Don't believe Yami, he really did try!"

Mahado and Karim both looked at her in confusion. "Who is Yami?"

Mana groaned. "Him!"

Atemu dropped his head and found something on the ground to stare at while Karim laughed a little. "I think you must be mistaken. This is Atemu, the Master's son. The boy you are caretaker of." Mana and Atemu's mouths dropped as the words came out of Karim's mouth. _**This is Atemu.... caretaker..... **_Mahado led Mana out of the bathroom and Karim left the bathroom as well and leaned over the stairwell. "Hey Shada!" He yelled out and waited for an answer.

"WHAT!" Shada answered back.

Karim laughed again. "You owe me fifty bucks!"

* * *

(almost faints from exhaustion) Holy crap, this a long chapter! Sorry I didn't update earlier, but I was celebrating my birthday this weekend and didn't get enough time to finish writing the chapter. Well, I've been writing for almost an hour so I'm gonna go get some breakfast. Please review!


	4. Master and Servant

Oh yes, that was quite an awkward last time! I'm glad I got more readers/reviews, I practically ran around the house in joy. And as for the job guesses, someone got it right but I'm not saying who. If you want to keep guessing, please do! And just so you know, Ryou's last name in this story is **not** Bakura. Alright, here we go! I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! And blah-blah-blah.....

* * *

Chapter Three: Master and Servant

Mana's mind raced as she analyzed everything that had just happened. The Young Master that was in the picture; the smiling, adorable, playful child was in fact... a younger Yami! Why was his name Atemu Montu and not Yami Namonaki as she had heard all those years? She knew people were called differently at home, but why in the world did he have a completely different name? _Does everyone else know this as well? _"Mana."

Mahado brought her out of her thoughts when they reached Atemu's room where Isis was. "Hey I have the clothes for you. Although you could have waited in the bathroom." Isis handed Mana her clothes who took them roughly and entered the large, walk-in closet to change in. "Mahado, what's wrong?"

Mana slammed the closet door hard and Mahado sighed loudly. "Um... she and the Young Master had a bit of an altercation in the bathroom."

Her eyes widened slightly. "What exactly is that suppose to mean?"

Mahado crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat, hoping he wouldn't have to explain after this. "Atemu pinned Mana to the floor and she says he tried to rape her while he says he was only trying to get her to leave. It's an odd situation." Mana came out of the closet, wearing a black T-shirt and sweats which had to be black as well. She walked right up to him and slapped Mahado across the face, now feeling the sting that Atemu felt a few minutes ago. "What was that for?"

Isis put some space between the two so Mana wouldn't get violent again. "Why didn't you tell me that Atemu was my age?"

"You never asked."

"Yes, I did! I said and I quote '**How old is he?' **and you said about five. Does he look 'about five'?!" Mana yelled, nearly screaming in her anger.

"Isis," Mahado pulled her out of the way, "can you go see how Atemu is doing?" She raised a brow but left the room, trusting that Mahado wouldn't let himself get killed by Mana. "I thought you meant the picture, not his actual age." Mana pouted and would've said something if Mahado hadn't continued. "It's quite obvious you two know each other, I assume you two are in the same class?"

"I've had the same classes with him since I was ten years old. And in all that time, his name has been Yami! Why is his name different?"

Mahado shook his head. "I am not at liberty to discuss that; you would have to ask Atemu." He left the room and Mana followed after him, her eyes directed toward the floor. She stopped and leaned over the stairwell, seeing Yami... **Atemu** talking to another person who she identified as Yugi Mutou.

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Atemu made his way down the stairs and saw Yugi waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Yugi snickered as he eyed the red hand-print on his friend's face. Atemu narrowed his eyes and frowned at the sight of Yugi laughing at him. "And what's so funny?"

"Your face." He laughed again and Atemu tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Yugi to stop taking pleasure in his pain. "I'm sorry Atemu, it was too funny. So what's wrong?"

Atemu sighed and placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders. "You have to go home right now." Yugi blinked with confusion written all over his face. "I know you just got here and all but I'm having a bit a... family crisis-issue thing going on."

"So it's like that?" The younger sighed and smiled. "Alright, just call me later." Atemu nodded and Yugi left his friend's house as quickly as he could, laughing his way out about the red hand-print.

He turned and saw Mana coming down the stairs, staring right at him with angry and perplexed eyes. Silence filled the air between the two as they avoided eye contact. "Sorry..."

"For what?"

"For slapping you, I guess it was uncalled for. Your turn."

His face remained passive as he moved closer toward her, causing her to back up until her back was up against the wall. Mana would never have even moved if his eyes didn't seem to burn a hole right through her. His hand slammed against the wall, the noise making her jump. Those eyes, those blood eyes of his bored even more contempt for her. "What will it take," Atemu's voice became very low, "for you to forget what you've seen today?" Her perplexed look came back, even more noticeable than before. She turned her attention to the ground and shook her head. As she tried to move away, his other hand slammed against the wall forcing her to stay.

"What do you want from me, Yami? Just leave me alone!" Her voice was slightly raised.

Atemu growled, his eyes showing irritation now. "I'm serious! Do you want money? Name your price. A better place to live? Say where. Or maybe..." He moved one of his hands away from the wall and cupped her cheek gently. "You want something more?" His eyes were even softer than before. Mana gasped and pushed Atemu away roughly. _Where did this side come from?_

"You are insane. And don't. Ever. Touch me. Again! Got that?"

Atemu's mouth opened, surprised not at what she said but the tone that was used to say it with. Never before had he ever heard her act so coarse with anyone, especially like that. He snapped back to reality and growled lowly. "Fine, I won't. But my dad's never going to allow my own class mate to work here. He'll make you the same offer, it would be better if you just-"

"Young Master!" Atemu cringed as he saw Shada coming his way. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Mana is your classmate and you try to bribe her? You were raised better than that."

The teen narrowed his eyes at Shada, who returned his glare. "Whose side are you on?!"

"In all honesty? The one not acting like a brat." Mana smiled a bit.

He got him. Shada was always the one that forced him to bit his tongue. After that, there was no way to defend himself. "I'll be in my room doing homework. Call me when my father arrives." Atemu bit his lip and held his head down as he went back upstairs into his room, shutting the door in a huff.

() () () () () () () () ()

"By God, that's absolutely brilliant Seto. How is it that you could figure that out but no one else in our board of advisers could?" Akunamkanon continued to praise Seto, who just carried a smug yet satisfied smile on his face.

He shrugged his shoulders and laughed politely. "Perhaps they are not thinking outside the box, Uncle. Are you sure it's not too much trouble to have me for dinner? I mean, I really shouldn't impose."

"Not at all. Being alone in your home is quite boring, especially since Mokuba is at a friend's house for the weekend. And besides, you and Atemu are so close it is actually a blessing." Seto nodded and followed Akunamkanon into his home. "I'm home!"

"Hey Atemu!" Seto yelled out as he went further inside the house and met up in the kitchen with Karim, who was apparently busy making dinner. "Where's Atemu?" Karim stopped what he was doing and sighed, pointing up signifying that he was in his room. Seto left the kitchen and walked hastily to his cousin's door which was black with a red sign saying **Do Not Enter**. He knocked once. "Hey cousin, you in?"

The door opened a crack and Atemu was slightly noticeable to Seto. "What do you want?"

"Uncle's downstairs with Mahado so I got nothing to do. Come on; let me in, I'm bored."

"My father's here!" He opened the door completely and pushed Seto out of the way as he ran downstairs. To his dismay, his father was already talking with Mahado and Mana, who was standing right next to him. "Dad!" Atemu yelled as he ran to his father.

"Hello son. Mahado here was just telling me about his cousin, your new caretaker."

Atemu stopped dead in his tracks and any brain activity he had stopped as well. Were his ears working correctly or did his father just say... "Who exactly are you talking about?"

His father pointed toward the girl next to Mahado. "His cousin Mana, who I must say is very lovely." Mana blushed a little and Atemu could only gawk at his father. "Something wrong with that?"

As Atemu continued to stare at his father in disbelief, he heard laughing coming from behind him. _Oh God, please no.... Please say he didn't... _"No way!" Atemu stood as still as he possibly could as Seto slapped his back. "Are you saying she's his caretaker?"

"That's what Mahado tells me, and she seems like a fine choice." Seto laughed even harder at this, his sides beginning to hurt from the incentive laughing he was doing. Atemu bit his lip and tried not to look at anyone else looking in his direction because of Seto, who was laughing like a man who just discovered what humor was.

"Seto, stop laughing."

"It's just so funny!" Seto wiped a couple of tears from his eyes as his laughter died out. "She's our classmate and your new babysitter!!"

Mana stared at Seto and tried to figure out what seemed to be her fourth surprise of the day. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you and Yami... I mean Atemu hate each other."

Seto shook his head and tilted his head slightly to the side. "Why would I hate my cousin?"

"COUSIN?"

"CLASSMATE?"

Mahado sighed heavily and silently hoped that Akunamkanon wouldn't blow a gasket because of this small little.... _Oh, who am I kidding? _"Akunamkanon-sama, I can explain perfectly."

"I hope so, Mahado. I'm not sure if I should even be considering this. Having Atemu's classmate being his caretaker, it doesn't seem right." Atemu grinned happily, at the rate his father was going Mana was about to be fired before she was even hired.

Seto grinned as well, but for a completely different reason than his cousin. He grabbed him by his arm and dragged him into another room. "Be right back!" He yelled to his uncle so he wouldn't think anything was wrong. After they were in one of the guest rooms, Seto closed the door behind him and chuckled at his cousin. "So you really don't want her to work here?"

"Didn't I just..."

Seto interrupted him. "Do I really have to explain all this to you?"

Atemu stared in complete dismay at his cousin. What evil trick could he have up his sleeve this time?

() () () () () () () () ()

Mana looked down at her attire and heaved a great sigh. She couldn't leave dressed the way she was, after all they weren't even her clothes. _All Mahado's fault, maybe I should just say I'm not interested in the job. No, I've gone too far. Might as well be rejected the old-fashioned way. _Seto and Atemu came out of the room and there was something different about Atemu's expression. The way he looked at her wasn't a look of contempt but a more softer tone. Mana wondered what emotion that was.

"Father, um... if you actually think about it, Mana being my caretaker wouldn't be that bad. I mean, you're always complaining about how Seto doesn't monitor me at school well enough and Mana here would be able to do it perfectly." Seto nodded in agreement.

Mana looked suspiciously at the two, not believing that Yami had a sudden change of heart. However, her thoughts were put to an abrupt stop the moment Akunamkanon laughed. "Anything else you would like to say, my boy?"

Atemu glanced over to Mana and noticed that she was wearing a shirt and sweats that were his. He flashed her a smile, one that was genuinely sweet. "Mana's my friend; I just want to help her."

"Alright then, that's all I needed to hear. Mana, come with me and we shall discuss the work terms." Mana nodded and followed Akunamkanon to his study.

Mahado shook his head and smirked at the pair. "Seto, I need to speak with the Young Master about his decision."

"But-"

"Please Seto; it'll only take a minute." Seto patted and left off to wait by his uncle's study. Mahado and Atemu stared at each other, sharing a moment of the awkward silence that enraptured them. "So... Mana's a good friend of yours, right?" He raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest.

Atemu returned his question with a mischievous smirk of his own while crossing his arms over his own chest. "Cousins, right?" Neither of them spoke, not wanting to explain their motives to the other person.

() () () () () () () () ()

Mana looked over the papers she was given by Mr. Montu. One was a list of the house rules which she would have to memorize word for word. Another one was a contract signifying her pay and terms of agreements. The last one would be her work schedule which she had to negotiate since she lived on the other side of town and needed time to get ready for her other job. The door opened behind her and on came in Seto and Atemu. "What do you guys want?"

"We have some business to discuss, involving personal issues between you and me."

"Okay. But why is Seto here?"

"As a witness." Atemu glanced over to Seto, who sat down in a nearby chair preparing to listen to the two. _This should be interesting._

Atemu closed the door behind him and leaned against it. "Unfortunately, you know about my name change and we need to make some rules about that."

Mana pouted at his words. _Exactly how many more rules am I suppose to remember? _"Okay, mind telling me why you have two different names?"

"No, he cannot tell you that." Seto answered quickly before his cousin could. "It's a family matter, the likes of which someone like you can never understand."

"I get it; you don't want to tell me, that's fine. What are these rules?"

Atemu peeked out of the corner of his eye toward Seto, who was just sitting there staring at the wall across from him. "In this house alone may you call me Atemu or refer to Seto as my cousin. Everywhere else I am Yami and Seto is my friend/enemy, got that?"

"But earlier, Yugi called you Atemu so-"

"That's because Yugi has known me since birth and I can trust him perfectly. And that's another thing; at school we act the same. Completely indifferent to one another. That's all I ask, do you agree to these terms?" Mana nodded and Atemu gave her another smile which was a twin of the one from earlier. "Excellent. Now I need your sizes."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

The answer came from Seto this time. "Anyone working in my uncle's house must wear a uniform. But you only have to wear it on weekdays and until you get it, you wear your regular clothes."

Mana sighed and gave Atemu her sizes, embarrassed that she even had to mention them right to his face. She left the study immediately and waited for her clothes to dry.

() () () () () () () () ()

**Two Weeks Later**

Mana ran through the halls, trying to find Yami so she could give him his lunch. Unfortunately, he forgot to get it that morning and Karim made her pick it up at the office to give it to him. She finally found him near the cafeteria doorway which led to the outside. "Yami!" She screamed loudly and he turned almost immediately. It was difficult for her to remember when to call him what, but she was getting used to it. Before Mana made it to him, she ran over a banana peel ready to fall until another arm reached out. Her eyes opened and saw Yami's arms around her waist, holding her tight.

"Are you okay? You really should be more careful." The sincerity in his voice caused her to blush a bit and it didn't help that most of the people there were now staring at them. Especially the girls who looked at her with such jealousy. He released her and decided not to tease her about the banana peel. "So what is it?"

"Um..." She held out the bento in her hands towards him. "You forgot your lunch, so Karim asked if I could deliver it to you."

Mana peeked out of the corner of her eye and saw the girls' stares intensify. _If only they knew why... _She thought bitterly. Yami took the bento from her hands and grabbed her wrist as well. "Why don't you eat with me and my friends today? You could use the company and it would be easier to watch me, don't you agree?"

_How does he mange to keep that nice-guy routine on 24-7? _"Sure, it'll be fun." Yami didn't let go of her wrist which caused most of the people to stare and whisper. _And this is how stupid rumors start... great!_ Mana mentally rolled her eyes.

He led her over to a table which was the only one that had a large tree next to it that provided adequate shade for them. "Oh look, Yami brought a mouse to play with."

"Shut up Kaiba. Everyone, I've invited Mana to sit with us so be nice." He took the available spot and pushed Jounouchi more to the left to make room for Mana. The moment she sat down was when he finally moved his hand away from her.

She glanced through the table and saw that everyone who sat there was in homeroom with her and Yami. There was Seto Kaiba, obviously, and his girlfriend Kisara Higurashi. It was a mystery to her why Kisara ever agreed to go out with an ass like Kaiba, but she guessed he had his moments. There was Yugi Mutou, a complete sweetheart since he was the type that was friends with everyone. Anzu Mazaki sat next to Yugi and Mana knew that they were practically made for each other since both were cheerful people, got along pretty well and looked adorable together; perhaps that's why they lasted this long as a couple. Katsuya Jounouchi and Hiroto Honda, the idiots cut from the same cloth were next to Duke Devlin who was the playboy in her class. And near the end of the table next to Yugi was Ryou Necrophades. He was kind of nerdy, but he was a nice guy unlike his twin Bakura Necrophades and his best friend Marik Ishtar. A shudder ran through her spine as she thought of the pair of psychos which was what people called them.

"Hey Mana, where's your food?" Jounouchi asked before stuffing a large rice ball in his mouth.

Mana blushed a bit. How exactly was she supposed to explain that she didn't have lunch because she spent her paycheck on paying off some overdue bills and didn't have enough left to buy adequate food for herself. "Um... well..."

"Idiot, don't go poking your business where it doesn't belong. Learn some manners you mangy mutt."

"Say that again Kaiba! I dare you!"

"Mangy. Mutt."

Jounouchi and Kaiba started their arguments while Yami pushed his bento to Mana. "You can have it; I'll eat when I get home."

"Are you sure? I mean, it was for you."

"Yeah, it's okay."

Mana hugged him quickly and began to eat her first real meal in days. Yugi and Anzu stared at the happy Mana and Yami who was just watching her eat his lunch. They whispered lowly to one another and laughed at each other's comments.

"_They look so cute together, don't they?_"

"_I know Anzu, they really do. Don't do anything crazy though._"

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"NO WAY! I AM NOT WEARING THIS THING!" Mana screamed through the door and Isis heard every word a little too clearly.

"Mana," Isis knocked on the door again, "you'll have to come out sooner or later, it might as well be now." On the other side, Mana could not stop staring at herself. The uniform fit perfectly, but the way it was designed was the real monstrosity. The sleeves went off her shoulders, the uniform itself only went up to her thighs and the ruffles under it made it poof up. Worst of all, there was a matching head band and collar. _This looks NOTHING like Isis' uniform! _"Come out already or I'll get someone to break down the door."

Mana sighed and unlocked the door to let Isis see how the uniform fit her. "You see, it looks bad. The only thing that's the same is that it's black and white, but that's it! Can I just wear my regular clothes?"

"No, you can't. It doesn't look that bad and even if it did, we can't return it."

"Wonderful." The sarcasm in her voice was much too apparent. Isis grabbed her wrist and led her toward the dining room where Atemu, his father, Seto and Mokuba were having dinner in. In all seriousness, it wasn't the most revealing thing that Mana had ever worn but she didn't want to wear it around people she knew. _Just suck it up, it won't be that bad._ She told herself over and over again.

In the dining room, everyone had finished their meal and was about to receive their dessert when Isis and Mana came in with the dessert plates. Atemu's eyes widened as he saw Mana's uniform and how short it was on her. "There seems to have been a mistake made with her uniform Montu-sama and she will have to make do with this."

Seto snickered under his breath and Mana slammed his dessert on the plate, causing some of it to splatter on his shirt. "Oops, so sorry." She walked over to Atemu and put his dessert on his plate, but much nicer than how she placed Seto's. She was blushing so much that she could hardly look right at them. Isis and her bowed and proceeded to leave the dining room.

Atemu watched Mana leave and leaned backwards on his chair to get a better look at her. He leaned back a little more and Seto lifted his foot up and pushed the chair up causing Atemu to fall backwards. "What the hell was that for?!"

"You wanted a better look right? You nasty pervert."

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This is how their relationship is progressing so far, not so good but not so bad either. I would say they're friends at this point in time. Okay, STAR testing is finally over! And now I have to take my AP Spanish test on Tuesday which means MORE studying... damn it. Wish me luck and review please! ^^

Oh, and if you want to see what Mana's uniform looks like then go on my profile and follow the link!


	5. Birthday Club

School's almost done! I can't wait until this summer and my A.P. Test went well, thanks for all who asked. And... -drumroll please-... Here it is!! The chapter you all have been waiting for has finally arrived! The mystery of Mana's second job shall be revealed and how Atemu finds out about it! Please go on reading and keep in mind that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! **(Warning: Some mature content up ahead)

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Chapter Four: Birthday Club

Mana yawned again as she unlocked the door to Atemu's home. This was one of the things she hated most about working here. Having to come to his home Monday through Friday to wake Atemu up at six in the morning was a real pain since she had to wake up even earlier to catch the right bus. _The idiot should just get an alarm, but no! He doesn't want to disturb the rest of the house. Damn rich people._ She threw her backpack onto the nearby couch and proceeded to move up the stairs to Atemu's room. In another two hours, she would have to refer to him as Yami. Then again, when they get back here she would also have to refer to him as **Young Master **and wear that god-forsaken uniform.

She slowly opened the door and walked in, eyeing Atemu who looked as though he was sleeping quite peacefully. Mana sighed and made her way to the window and opened the blinds, allowing the light to enter the room. Although it wasn't very bright yet, it was evident that the sun was out. She tilted her head and scowled as she discovered that he was still asleep. _Stubborn, are we? _A wicked smile crepted up to her face as she tip-toed to Atemu's bed and poked him between his ribs. He groaned tiredly in response and hugged his pillow tighter to him. "Atemu, get up! Start acting your age!" Mana screamed at him.

It was too early in the morning.

Atemu shook his head and nuzzled deeper into his soft covers. _Too comfortable... _Suddenly, he felt more weight on the bed and more specifically, on him. _What the...? _Before he could question anything, he was being shaken rather violently. "Wake up, you lazy bum!"

"I'm up! I'm up, goddamn it!" Atemu yelled out and released the pillow for his grasp. "Shit, I'm so tired. I didn't even get that much sleep." He propped himself up on his elbows and rubbed his eyes while yawning.

"Sleeping on a king-sized bed made of the softest material known to man must be very rough. I only got 4 hours of sleep. You are so spoiled."

Atemu narrowed his eyes at her very statement. "For your information, my dear Mana, I only went to bed 3 hours ago because studying to keep the number one rating for the school is practically a job in its own. So no, I am not being spoiled. I am being. A very. Tired. And angry. Nerd. Got it?"

Neither faulted with their grumpiness until the door opened. "Will you both keep it down? It's too early for this." Mahado stared at the two and smiled. "Then again, maybe you two get along better than I think." Mana and Atemu blinked in confusion until they realized what he was saying. Mana was on top of him and Atemu wasn't wearing a shirt and of course... they had to be on the bed. They blushed and Mana jumped off him, mumbling an apology under her breath.

Atemu ignored her and turned his attention to Mahado. "Tell Karim I'll take my breakfast to go."

"Very good sir. Mana, would you like breakfast as well?" She nodded quickly, still not over the embarrassment that happened moments ago. Mahado smirked and went back downstairs.

After he left, Atemu yawned and stretched out his sore muscles. He pushed his covers away and got out of his most comfortable bed. "I'm gonna take a shower now, so just lay out my uniform Mana. Thanks."

"Sure, but first would you mind telling me why you aren't wearing a shirt?"

"It was hot last night, be lucky I'm even wearing pajama bottoms. Now please do what I asked you to do." He left the room and slammed the door behind and Mana sighed loudly. _Oh well, might as well do my job._ She walked over to his closet and pulled out a blue jacket with matching blue trousers and a black sleeveless shirt. Mana didn't understand how he was allowed to wear the belts and the collar without a violation of the dress code. Then again, Domino High School was a public school so they weren't as strict as private schools.

As soon as she was done getting the clothes, she put them on the chair so she could make the bed. After that was done, she grabbed his uniform and neatly placed them out. Mana smiled as she remembered that she used to do the same thing for her little brother, but pushed the thoughts away as she didn't want to be in a bad mood. The last thing she had to do was pick up his dirty clothes and since Atemu was trying to be considerate, he left them in a basket near his nightstand. Mana picked them up and left his room to go to the laundry room so she could wash them.

A few minutes past and Atemu was out of the shower, changed into his uniform and came out all accessorized. He hurried downstairs to grab his breakfast so he and Mana could leave to school. Ordinarily, he went to school much later but since Mana came to his house every morning, it would be very weird to other students if they were seen coming out of the same car. People might think the worst. There was Mana, sitting on the stool, eating her quick breakfast. "Morning Karim. Mana, grab your stuff and let's go. Shada isn't going to wait forever for us." He grabbed his pop-tart and Mana grabbed her bag and both went out the front door where Shada was waiting to take them to school.

Just another average day.

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Mana struggled to keep her eyes open in class for two particular reasons. The first was that she didn't get sleep and two, trigonometry was really boring. She eyed the rest of the class and saw that the only ones besides her that were taking notes were Anzu, Yugi, Ryou and Kisara. Weevil and Rex were throwing eraser bits at each other, some landing on her hair or hitting her. Jounouchi sat in the first row, third seat by the windows and was just catching a few z's. Up in the front, Kisara sat between Bakura and Marik who couldn't do anything without getting caught by the teacher. Mana always felt relieved that Marik didn't sit next to her, but he was unfortunately just two seats up from her. In the very back, she figured that Duke and Honda were probably playing Speed or something like that. Seto and Yami never paid attention and the teacher never said anything about them.

The bell rang eventually, giving them a ten minute break before their next class started. "So Yami, what are you doing for your birthday?" Ryou asked as he moved up from his seat to where everyone else was. "Anything special?"

Yami shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure, it's a surprise though. All I know is that it's a guy's only thing and that a limo will pick us all up. Sorry Anzu and Kisara, you guys will just have to wish me a happy birthday over the phone."

"Oh that's alright Yami. As long as you don't drag Seto into anything stupid, I'm just fine."

"Same here, so don't get Yugi into any trouble."

Seto and Yugi snickered and left the classroom in order to have a private conversation. "So Seto, what's the surprise? Can't you tell me?" Seto shook his head and chuckled under his breath.

"Nope, not a single word. I need to top him, so no one must know the spectacular surprise."

"For your birthday last year, he rented out a whole beach in Okinawa and flew us down there for the weekend and managed to get your favorite bands there. I don't see how you can do better than that. It's impossible."

"Yugi, have faith. I'll send the limo to your house at 8:30 tomorrow. Tell your mom you'll be out the whole night." Yugi sighed and nodded, knowing he would have to remember to tell his mother and grandpa that he would be out for a while.

Back in the classroom, Mana walked up to Yami and tapped him lightly on his shoulder. He turned, wondering what she wanted from him. "Can I talk to you real quick?" Yami nodded, stood up and led her outside the classroom as Yugi and Seto came back in, having their own thoughts of why Mana and Yami were leaving the classroom alone.

They looked back and forth in the hallways and saw no one else within listening distance. "So what's up?"

"I need Saturday off because I have a... previous engagement that I can't ignore."

"Alright, it doesn't matter anyway. My dad's gonna spend the day with me and I get to spend all night with Seto and his marvelous surprise party." Mana stared at him, not particularly understanding why Seto was throwing him a party. Yami leaned against the wall, realizing why she looked so confused. "Every year, we throw the other a birthday party and try to outdo each other. He's not the type that will admit defeat, I'm sure he'll do something outrageous." Mana laughed a little at his statement and decided not to question it. _Families are crazy. _"So just tell my father today and you'll be fine. Is that all?"

Mana nodded and both entered the classroom again, Mana went to her seat while Yami sat down in his and was bombarded almost immediately by Duke and Jounouchi. "What was that about?"

"Hey Jounouchi, I bet Mana was flirting with him."

"Hell yeah, especially by the way she looked at him."

"Yami, you're so lucky."

"What the hell are you two talking about? She was just asking me something."

Duke chuckled and sat on Yami's desk. "Only asking? Whatever you say man. By the way, I'm going to your party."

"That's great!" Yami smiled and looked over to Jounouchi. "Are you going too?"

Jounouchi nodded. "Pretty much just gotta cancel my plans with Mai. She'll be a little PO'd at me, but she'll understand... I hope." He rubbed the back of his head, already imagining her reaction.

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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATEMU!" Atemu sat up on his bed as Mahado, Karim, Isis, and Shada came in with his big birthday breakfast filled with chocolate chip pancakes, maple syrup, fruit punch, and a plate of assorted fruits. His absolute favorite. His grin became bigger as Karim placed it in front of him. "Careful, it's hot."

"Yeah, I can feel it." Atemu mumbled with the food in his mouth and shoved a strawberry in his mouth as well.

"And," Mahado pulled a gift from behind his back, "we got you a present." Mahado placed it next to Atemu, who picked it up and examined it.

"You didn't have to, I mean..."

"We wanted to, now open it." Isis interrupted him and sat on the bed with Mahado.

Atemu shook it lightly and saw Shada's eyes glaring at him. He got the hint and tore the wrapping off. The thing about the gift was that he didn't know what to expect but the moment he laid his eyes on it, his heart warmed. It was a photo album and a fat on at that. He flipped through the pages and saw it was already filled with so many pictures. There were so many that he recognized and unfortunately for him, most of them were very embarrassing pictures. "How... how did you...?"

Karim answered. "We went through every picture collected over the years. Now that you're an adult, you can look back at your life and remember how you were when you were just a little kid."

"Then why are there embarrassing photos?"

"For our amusement, of course."

"Thanks Mahado, I can feel the love." Atemu continued to look and laughed as he came across more. "... I don't really know what to say. Thank you guys so much." Atemu hugged the album very close to him and smiled even wider than before.

"And by the way," Shada began to mention, "your father is waiting downstairs for you. So finish your breakfast and shower very quickly." Atemu nodded and began to scarf down his breakfast like there was no tomorrow. The others left his room while Mahado stayed, watching Atemu eat his breakfast a little too quickly.

"Young Master," Atemu looked up and mumbled something which Mahado couldn't possibly understand. "I was just wondering if you knew why Mana isn't here today."

Atemu gulped his food, finishing it in record time. "I'm not really sure, she said something about she was really busy today. She didn't say many details about it. Why?" Atemu jumped off his bed and stopped at the doorway.

Mahado shook his head. "No reason, just curious." Atemu gave a slight nod and left his room and went on to the bathroom. Mahado stared at the ground, knowing the real reason why Mana couldn't come today. Every day that she had been there, he feared someone in the house would find out her status but it's been at least two months and the only people that knew were Mana and himself. No one had yet to find out. He left Atemu's bedroom and headed to another room to give her a call. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. It rang a few times before a voice was heard on the other line.

"_Hello?_"

He smiled. "Hey, it's Mahado."

A yawn was heard. "_Hey... what time is it?_"

He looked at his watch. "9:27 in the morning. Did I wake you up?"

"_Yeah._" Mana replied tiredly. "_I'm trying to catch some sleep before my shift. Is something wrong?_"

Mahado shook his head. "No, of course not, just wanted to make sure you got home safe and sound. Well, have a good sleep."

"_Thanks Mahado. Bye-bye._"

"Bye." He pressed the end-call button and put his phone back in his pocket. He left the room and saw Atemu already running downstairs.

Atemu got to the bottom of the stairs and ran to the kitchen, seeing his father sitting on the table and reading the newspaper. "Morning dad."

His father looked up and put the newspaper down. "There's the birthday boy!" He stood and walked over to his son, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. "How does it feel to be an adult now?"

"Not really different, it's the same as I felt yesterday."

Akunamkanon smirked and led him out of the kitchen and toward the garage door. "Well, all that's about to change. Now, close your eyes and do not open them until I say so."

"Okay." Atemu closed his eyes and didn't try to sneak at whatever his father was trying to do. He was guided slowly into the garage and heard the door open, the sun reaching his eyes and all the while not even sneaking a peak at his surprise. His father finally released his shoulders and stood away from him. "Dad, are you still there?"

"Atemu, you can open your eyes now." Hesitantly, he did as he was told and opened them. The moment he caught sight of his father's surprise was when all speech escaped him. What was waiting for him, just lying there in the garage was a... "Atemu, what do you think?"

He continued to stare and walked closer to it, running his fingers against the cool metal which had been painted black and red. "A motorcycle... you got me a... motorcycle."

Akunamkanon nodded and smiled wider at his son. "Yes, and I had this one especially designed just for you. Everything you see here is custom-made and one of a kind. Only the best for you, my son."

The shock finally was released from his body and he shouted in excitement. "OH MY GOD! I... CAN'T BELIEVE YOU... THANK YOU SO MUCH DAD!" Atemu ran up to his dad and jumped on him, giving him a crushing bear hug. His father hugged him back and placed him back on the floor. "Can I ride it? Just for a couple of minutes anyway, please?"

"Oh, I know you are." Akunamkanon grabbed two helmets and handed one to his son. "Today, you are my driver and this is our transportation." He sat on the seat and put his helmet on. "Well, are you coming or not son?"

"Dad, did I ever mention you are coolest person alive?" Atemu said proudly as he sat in front of his father and put on his helmet as well.

"Yes, my boy... you have and I am."

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Seto grumbled as he looked down at his watch and knew immediately that his cousin was late in coming out. He had already picked up everybody else and was practically losing his sanity for being in the same car as Jounouchi. He was slowly losing his patience as well and was about to leave the limo to get his cousin himself, but instead the car door opened and in came birthday boy himself. "What the hell took you so long, Yami? God, how long does it take for you to get ready? You are worse than Kisara."

"Hey, not my fault. I only got back 20 minutes ago." He closed the door behind him and the limo finally started moving again. Yami scanned the car rather quickly and saw Honda, Jounouchi, Yugi and Duke were there. Already, he knew why Ryou couldn't have possibly come and there was no way in hell Seto or him would have allowed Bakura or Marik to have come so he was glad just to have his best friends with him. "You guys will never believe what my dad got me."

"Duel monster cards."

Yami sighed. "Jounouchi, I can buy those on my own time. Guess again."

"Porn?"

"What the hell Duke? Why would my dad get me that?"

"My dad did." Honda smiled as the words escaped his mouth.

Everyone looked at him very oddly all because of that one little comment he had made. "Nice to know. My dad got me a motorcycle!" His friends cheered and gave him congratulations about receiving one of the best gifts a guy could ask for.

"Sweet dude, now we can race each other!" Honda spoke again to Yami and he gave him a devilish smirk.

"Fine, we'll race and I'll leave you in the dust."

"You're on!"

They all engaged in conversations about anything they could possibly think of before pulling in at their first stop. "Where are we?" Yami asked as he tried to see out the window to identify where they were exactly, but couldn't quite tell because it was rather dark.

Seto chuckled lowly, catching the attention of everyone in the car. "Yami, my present to you tonight is to treat you to every nightclub in the city with VIP access. Truly a night fit an adult, don't you agree?"

Yami smirked and chuckled nervously. "We shall see Seto, we shall see."

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Mana fixed her costume ever so carefully since it was rather tight and she didn't want a seam to rip. The costume was that of the Dark Magician Girl with a blonde wig to match what the character was supposed to look like. Since she even looked like the card, so many guys paid more to see her. The clock on the wall read 2:19 in the morning and her appointment would be at 2:25, she would have so little time to get ready. Mana grabbed the light pink eye shadow and lightly put more on. She fixed her mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss as well since they were a little smudged. Her only job at the moment was to look pretty for her next client. There was a knock on her door and she focused her attention on the knock. "Come in."

"DMG," her nickname around there, "your party is here. Come on, they're waiting."

"Okay, I'll be out in a few minutes. Just put him in the room." The guy nodded and closed the door. Earlier that week, her boss gave her an offer saying that there was a guy who offered 300 dollars to whichever girl would give his cousin a lap-dance. Her boss would have never have gotten her to do this, but the guy also wanted the prettiest girl and unfortunately for her, she was one of the prettiest and by far the youngest one there so her boss chose her. Mana was in no position to refuse so she reluctantly accepted the offer.

She left her dressing room rather quickly and went off to the VIP rooms for the private performances.

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Yami tapped his fingers against his forearm rather impatiently. This club was the last club that they were stopping at for the night and so far, he had been thoroughly enjoying himself but now he was pissed for the first time all night. _How dare Seto bring us to a strip club? And to book me a lap-dance no less! Does he really think I'm this pathetic? _The door in front of him opened and there was a figure there, but the lighting in the VIP room wasn't exactly the best so he couldn't really tell what the girl looked like. "Listen, I don't care what my cousin paid you, I'll give you double not to do this." He heard a slight giggle in the room and saw the girl moving toward him.

"This is your first dance, right?"

Yami blushed and looked away. "W-why would you think that?"

She giggled again. "Just by the nervousness in your voice. How about you just sit down in that chair right there and we'll see what happens from there." Yami scanned the room and found the chair which was in the middle of the room. The moment he sat down, the girl sat on him and straddled his hips.

"What the...?" Yami's breathing became heavier as she nuzzled his neck and began to grind her hips against his body.

"Before I begin, just gotta let you know that you're not allowed to touch me. Otherwise, security will come beating down the door." Her fingers trailed down his body, finding various sensitive spots making him pant more and beginning to groan.

Never before had he felt his body heat up so much, especially over some stripper he had just met. The way her hips moved, the spots at which she bit at and where her fingers touched caused the hormone levels in his body to go up much more than what had meant for it. "... fuck." He said breathlessly through his pants.

"Like the warm-up, did you? Then you'll love what's next. But just for a little insurance..." Her fingers moved down to his belt and unfastened it, taking it off instantly.

"HEY!" Yami protested rather loudly. She took both of his hands and tied them behind his back with his belt. "Why'd you do that?"

"For safety, of course." She leaned in until his lips and hers were inches apart, "Now let's spice things up a bit." The girl pulled on the straps on the costume until she was left in just her bra and panties. The rational part of his brain was no longer in control as his eyes trailed up and down her body. "See something you like?" Yami bit his lips and stared up right at the girl's face. The light was still too dim to see what she looked like, but from what he could tell she was a blonde and had the most brilliant jade eyes which he definitely had seen before.

"Perhaps..."

The girl smirked rather mischievously and leaned in toward his ear. "How about now?" He didn't understand what she had meant until he saw the cloth that was keeping her breasts hidden had been discarded and they were now pressed against his chest. She repeated her actions from before, except now they were rougher and faster and making his body react even more than before. He was at the end of his rope and was ready to break free from the restraints until he heard bells chiming.

"What was that?" Instead of actually answering him, she removed herself from him and began dressing.

"Looks like the fun is over. Time's up. I'll untie you after I get my outfit on, kay?" She put on her clothes as quickly as she could and untied him as she said. "If you stay, you can watch me perform. I'm the next dancer." She handed him his belt and he snatched it from her none too politely. The girl rolled her eyes and left the room.

Yami fixed his belt and left as well toward a more crowded area until he saw his friends and more importantly, Seto. "Hey Yami, how'd it go?"

"I hate you... so much."

Jounouchi and Honda laughed loudly and Duke slapped both upside their heads to make them stop. Yugi chuckled under his breath as well, but wasn't being loud about it. "So," Seto started again, "does that mean you didn't enjoy it?"

"Um, well..." Yami blushed and sat down next to Yugi. "It's not that I didn't like it, just uh..." He stopped talking as they saw a rush of guys heading closer to the stage where the walkway was.

"What's going on?" Yugi watched the guys curiously as they cheered when the curtains opened.

"Oh yeah, it's a stripper about to do her routine. The one that gave me the dance." He pointed toward her as she came out.

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Mana took a deep breath as the curtains opened and the music began. _One more dance and it's over for tonight._ She began her routine and already guys were throwing money on the stage for her. She took a peak at the crowd and nearly had a heart attack when she saw... Yami and his friends. _What the...? Why is he here?_ At first she thought it was a strange coincidence and thought she should just ignore it, but then remembered back to the last lap-dance she gave.

"**Listen, I don't care what my cousin paid you, I'll give you double not to do this."**

The cold, demanding demeanor in his voice was so familiar, how could she not have recognized it?!

_Oh my god! I-I gave Yami a-a-a... lap-dance!

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O... m... G! Shocking, isn't it? Well, the reviewers that were right were **Ana Caterina**, **Idiotwhocantthinkofapenname** and I think **Millenniumthief** got it too. For the ones that thought she was a hooker, which was a great guess except for the fact that since Mana had never been arrested so a background check wouldn't show that she's a hooker unless someone caught her in the act. Just so you know, I would have updated yesterday but my Internet connection failed and my keyboard just would NOT type! It was very frustrating but whatever! Hoped you liked the chapter and review please!


	6. Blackmail

I will say it again just for the hell of it. O. M. G. Mana and Yami were... whoa! Hm, I wonder what will happen now. I know all of you are just dying to know his marvelous awe-inspiring reaction so please go on reading. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any shape, way, form, and blabbity blah blah.

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Chapter Five: Blackmail

_Out of all the things! _Mana screamed in her head as she ran inside her apartment. _There was no way I gave him a lap dance! There's just no way!_ She locked the door behind her and slid against it, hitting the floor rather quickly. _What if he knows it was me? He'll tell everyone and...!_ Mana cringed at the very thought of what would happen.

Yami telling everyone at school...

a huge scandal would ensue...

she would get expelled...

and fired from his house...

end up on the streets...

doing worse things than stripping!

She shook her head forcefully and stood back up on her feet quickly, making her way to the bathroom. The whole situation that she imagined was just her imagination running wild, a mere fantasy or nightmare in this case. The room was dark so he couldn't have recognized her by looks alone. Mana turned on the shower to a high setting for hot water. She always made her voice sound deeper when she worked there, just in case someone could recognize her which only a trained professional could do after she put on the blonde wig. Mana stripped herself of her clothes and stepped into the shower, grabbing the bar of soap immediately and scrubbing herself like there was no tomorrow.

_I'm overreacting. Everything will go just fine tomorrow. It'll be just another average Sunday... like usual._

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Mana walked slowly into the Montu mansion, checking to see if Atemu was anywhere in sight. _Good, safe for now._

"Hey Mana."

She jumped nervously. "Oh... good morning Isis. You scared me." The nervousness in her voice was shown too clearly.

Isis raised a brow. "Are you okay, Mana? You seem to be jumpy."

"Jumpy? No, of course not. Must've been the coffee I had earlier."

"Well, come and have something to eat. You're kinda early you know."

Mana walked up to her and followed her to the kitchen. "I am?"

Isis nodded. "Yes, it is 9:00 right now and you don't have to be here till 10:00. I find that interesting."

Mana shrugged her shoulders and looked around the kitchen. _Nowhere in sight. _She breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, it was just the two of them in the kitchen. "So where's everyone else?"

Isis took out some eggs and cracked them, putting them in the bowl and mixing ham and cheese into it as well. "At home, sleeping I suppose. Of course, I'm the only punctual one around here. But then again, you're here so maybe there is some hope."

"Oh, how about Montu-san or... Atemu?" She said his name softly, almost not wanting to know if he was there or not.

"Montu-sama is at work and I think the Young Master is still in his room sleeping. He came in quite late last night. The Master wasn't particularly happy about his only son coming home at 3 in the morning, but overlooked just because it was his birthday. Actually Mana, could you do me a favor?" Mana nodded and poured herself a glass of orange juice. "Could you go and wake Atemu up? He really shouldn't sleep in so late."

Mana lowered her head and walked upstairs slowly. _Don't freak out Mana. Do not freak out! Just wake him up and get out of there. It's not that hard._ She stared at his door for the longest time. The color of it seemed to represent her future. Mana wasn't even sure what would happen if she entered in there. Some possible situations began to run through her mind.

One would be that he threatens her with violence to get out of his home.

Another would be that he screams for help saying she's trying to take advantage of him and ends up calling the cops for sexual assault.

Then there was the possibility that instead of being pissed about the dance, he enjoyed it and wanted her body again. But in more ways than just a dance.

Mana was practically going out of her mind with all the possible reactions. _For the love of all that is holy, I only have to wake him up! Why is this so hard?! _Her hand reached out for the doorknob and she opened the door as slowly as she could, resulting in a loud creak. She peaked in hesitantly and realized the room was completely dark. _Good, he really is asleep. _She walked over to the blinds and opened them, allowing the sunlight to enter and some of the sun's rays hit Atemu's face directly. His face scrunched up and he pulled the covers over his head to block the bright light. "Go away!" Atemu screamed, though it was muffled by his pillows and blanket. "Five more minutes dad." She heard him mumble.

_He thinks his dad is waking him up? _She could keep up the facade as long as she didn't utter a word. Mana made her way to his bed and sat on it, staring at the shape of Atemu's body under the covers. A tingle ran through her spine when he remembered how his body felt against her own. Her hand reached out to him, shaking his arm roughly and causing some irritated moans from him. He brushed her off and now she too was getting irritated. Mana now began to shake his shoulders roughly. "Wake up already!"

His eyes shot open and his hand snatched her wrist, pulling her on the bed with him. Mana was now on her back and beneath Atemu, who stared right at her with those sharp, cold, crimson eyes of his. Atemu's eyes, his features, even the very aura that surrounded him... everything about him practically screamed anger, at least that's what it seemed to Mana. The look on his face never faulted; in fact... it seemed to become more intense than moments ago. The silence between them was killing her. _He knows, doesn't he? _Atemu released her wrists and removed himself from her. "Did you realize I was sleeping?"

"Um, well..."

"And did you also realize that when I said 'go away', I was not kidding!"

"No need to yell, you know." Mana smiled nervously and got off the bed. The fear dwelling in her belly would not dissipate and even worse, it grew.

Atemu walked over to his dresser and grabbed the maid uniform that was laying there and tossed it in her direction. "You know the rules Mana; at least you should by now. Be in proper uniform. Now listen carefully, I need you to do me a favor while you're in regular clothes." She nodded and set her uniform aside. "Alright, I have to go to Seto's really quick because I left my jacket in his limo. So while I'm out, I need you to go to the pharmacy and pick up the subscription for my meds. And not just any pharmacy, the one on Okina Street. And while you're there, tell the pharmacist that the new contacts are hurting my eyes so get the old one. I expect you in this house before I arrive and you should be properly dressed. Got it?"

_What's with him? He's bossier than usual... _"Yeah, got it all. But Okina is like an hour away and it'll take about 40 minutes to get to Seto's so..."

Atemu interrupted her. "I didn't ask for excuses, just do what I ordered!" He left the room, slamming the door behind him and Mana stood there almost questioning if his bratty attitude was due to the fact that he was 18 now or just really cranky from barely getting any sleep. _Either way, he'll act better when he gets back from the Kaiba mansion. And if he doesn't, then his bratty side will need pain meds as well._

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Unfortunately, she did not get back to the house before Atemu did. His temper was set off immediately, spouting out insults on how incompetent she was or how the simplest task was too difficult for her. Mahado got him to stop but every last one of his words stung. The rest of the day, he didn't yell at her but just ordered her to do stupid tasks which he could've done himself like getting a drink or having to walk across the room to pass him a book that was only a foot away him. The idea that he knew about her was abandoned a while ago but his attitude wouldn't calm down unless other people were around or until his dad came back home.

He was quiet now and whenever he looked right at her, the spark in his eyes glimmered even brighter with a hidden emotion. One that only he knew and no one else. It was 9:30 and in another half hour, her shift would end and Mahado would give her a ride home. Dinner already ended and she was helping Karim clean up by washing the dishes for him since she wanted to make things easier for him. As she washed them, Atemu came in already in his pajamas. "Hey Karim, just came to get something."

"Young Master, no sugar or caffeine after dinner. Especially at this hour, you know better than that."

Atemu chuckled and shook his head. "No, actually I'm gonna turn in early. I just came in to get my pills." He walked over to where Mana was and stood right behind her. His pills would be in the cabinets above the sink. He got right behind her and stood on his tiptoes to try to open the cabinets and get what he wanted.

Mana bit her lip as she realized their bodies were touching and him moving wasn't making the situation any less awkward. Since Atemu was short for his age, he kept moving up and down to try and reach the desired object. Mana felt again how Atemu's body shape was against her own; all it did was remind her of the other night. _Please stop...!_

"Got it!" Atemu yelled loudly and shook the small bottle in his hands. "Sorry for trapping you Mana, my fault for being vertically challenged. Oh, can you bring a glass of water up to my room after you're done?"

"Of course."

After a few minutes, Mana was done with the dishes and she carried a bottle of water up to Atemu's room. She knocked once and waited for a response. "Come in." The voice was muffled and Mana opened the door. He was sitting on the bed, shaking the pill bottle like it was a rattle.

"Do you actually need those sleeping pills or is that just for kicks?" Mana handed him the water bottle and he grabbed it from her none too kindly.

He stood straight up and glared at her. "Don't you dare accuse me of being a drug addict!"

"I wasn't! God, what is it with you? All day you've been acting worse than Kaiba and snapping at me for no reason except to make this day miserable for me. So thank you very much, _Young Master_!"

Mana growled and stomped to the door. "Mana wait!" Atemu grabbed her wrist and pulled her back away from the exit.

"Let me go you pompous, arrogant-"

"Hear me out first! Just let me explain." He pleaded with her and the soft tone in his voice showed he wasn't trying to trick her. She shut her mouth and decided to listen to whatever excuse he had. "I um... I've been under a lot of pressure lately from my dad and the school and uh... I don't have an outlet for that. Sometimes, it just comes out. So I'm sorry that I took it out on you."

_That would explain a lot._ Mana understood what he said and sympathized with him. His dad owned a very large and successful company which he would inherit and run one day and him and Seto were always fighting to get the number one spot in everything. "Ok, I get it."

"Does that mean you accept my apology?"

"Today I will. Next time, you won't be so lucky."

Both laughed and he pulled her a little closer to him. "I just noticed something."

"What?"

Atemu smirked proudly. "You never asked me how my birthday went."

Mana gulped nervously, but tried not to show how nervous she really was by his statement. "Oh yeah, can't believe I never asked. How did it all go? Turned out good, right?"

Atemu nodded very slowly. "Very well, actually. My dad and me had our first quality bonding time in months and Seto... oh Seto, he really did plan a good party. I think he topped me."

"What did he do?" _Is she really going to mention every detail?_

"VIP access to every night club in town. And it was actually a lot of fun. The end of the night was the most memorable though. The last club he took me to was a strip joint and he even got me a lap dance."

"I don't need to hear this.."

"Oh," Atemu's voice lowered and his eyes narrowed, "but you do." He pulled her onto the bed so she was beneath and he pinned down both her wrists.

"Atemu...?" Her voice was shaky and uncertain. _No, please no..._

He laughed lowly and grinned widely. "Did you really think I wouldn't guess it was you? My, my. Who would of thought that mousy little Mana is a stripper?" Her heart was racing as she realized that Atemu knew, he knew from the moment he saw her on that stage... from when this whole day started... that it was her! She couldn't even attempt to deny the truth that was laid in front of her.

"How? How did you know?"

"I think it was pretty obvious since I've known you for a real long time Mana. Don't worry, the others didn't realize it was you. Although Duke said you did look pretty sexy onstage." He snickered and Mana was trying so hard to hold back the urge to kick him where it would hurt the most. His expression changed to a more serious one and his eyes strayed from her as though he were in thought. "Mahado knew... he knew you were a stripper so he... I knew it! I knew you two weren't related! Cousins, my ass! So how'd you convince him to give you this job in the first place?" Her buried his face in her neck, nuzzling it the same way she did. Every fragment of her being felt completely repulsed by what he was doing to her. "Did you dance for him, like you did me? Or perhaps," his hand wandered down to her thighs and pulled her skirt up a smidge, "you gave him more than a little dance?"

"You disgusting pervert!" She raised her leg and kneed him near the private and he groaned loudly. "I'm not a whore, now let me go!"

Atemu clutched onto her wrists even tighter as she struggled even harder. "Regardless of how, if my dad found out about your little job he'd definitely fire you for sure. And probably fire Mahado too since he's your accomplice. He'd probably inform the school board and they'd expel you for sure."

"You wouldn't dare. Why would you do that to me or Mahado even? Do you hate me that much?" His expression remained unchanged and she bit back her cry of pain that was coming from her wrists. "Please Atemu," she began to plead to him, "don't tell anyone. I'm begging you, please."

He laughed and shook his head. "What in the world would I gain from telling? Mahado would get fired and I would never see him again, can't possibly imagine life without him. And then you would probably get killed on the streets or somewhere along the lines of that. Your secret is safe with me." Mana breathed a heavy sigh of relief, she should've known that Atemu wouldn't risk Mahado's status there. He was practically an older brother to him and seemed to care for him beyond a master/servant relationship. "Then again, my dad did teach me never to give deals unless I get something in return. So what can you give me?"

Her eyes widened as the possible situations that she thought of earlier came to mind, especially the very last one. "Wha-what do you mean?"

"Well, you can't really pay me since you have no money and I'm rich enough. You can't really threaten me not to tell since I am not afraid of a 105 lb. stripper beating me up. Actually, there's not really much you can give me so that just leaves... your body."

Mana's fears returned and she struggled again, predicting the next thing he was about to do. "If you think I'm gonna have sex with you, then you must be-"

"I'm not a pervert Mana. I would never to that to you. What I want... is for you to be my girlfriend."

Every last muscle and nerve in her body froze immediately. _Did he just...?_ Now she was confused. Normally, most guys wouldn't ask a stripper to be their girlfriend but to do more... intimate acts. Maybe Atemu was just weird like that, but now wasn't the time to question it. "... you want me to... be your... what?" Or maybe she just heard him wrong.

"My girlfriend."

Nope, she heard him right.

"Over my dead body!"

"Then have fun finding a new life in another part of town."

"Isn't there any other option?"

"Accept my offer or everyone just finds out. Your choice." And that's when he did it. He did the one thing she had never expected him to do.

He kissed her.

It was a soft and slow kiss and she was too stunned to do anything. _Why is he doing this? I-I-I don't understand. Is he just bored or really hates me..._

"Atemu? Mana?" Their kiss was broken and Mana recognized the voice already.

Mahado...

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Mahado waited patiently on the couch for Mana to come down, ready to go back to her home. She had been up in the Young Master's bedroom for nearly 15 minutes and there was no way changing into her regular clothes took that long. _Maybe I should go check on her. _He stood up and walked up the stairs and down the hall to the boy's bedroom. Instead of knocking like he usually would, he opened the unlocked door and his eyes nearly bulged out of their eye sockets at what he was witnessing.

Atemu on top of Mana...

on the bed...

and kissing!

"Atemu? Mana? What are you two doing?" The last thing he wanted to happen was those two committing acts they would later regret. Atemu got off of her and backed up until he hit the wall, covering his mouth with his hand and stared back at Mana with complete surprise and remorse.

"I... I shouldn't... I..." Atemu ran out of the room quickly and Mahado ran after him, not understanding the situation clearly.

"Young Master!" He grabbed the boy's shoulders and pushed him against the wall. "What were you two doing back there? Do not lie to me!"

Atemu lowered his head slowly, his bangs covering his face but not his scared body language. "I... I don't know!" His tone was shaky and awkward. "One minute we're talking and the next thing I know... we're kissing. I don't know why I did that! I must've scared her, I should apologize.." Atemu slid against the wall and fell to the ground. "Mahado..." His voice began to crack. "I think she hates me."

Mahado bent down and lifted Atemu's chin so their eyes met. Already, he could see the tears forming in his dark eyes. "Why would you think that?"

"Because of what I did! I looked at her and thought about how cute she looked in that uniform and I just kissed her! I can't tell her it was a misunderstanding, she'll think I'm a pervert. Damn it! What do I do?"

Mahado pulled him in and hugged him. "There, there Atemu. Calm down now. Here's what going to happen. I'm taking Mana home and I want you to sleep. Tomorrow, think about exactly why you did what you did. Then you can say whatever you want to her."

Atemu mentally smirked at Mahado's comment. "Alright Mahado, I'll try that."

_All going perfectly..._

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Mana ran around the courtyard and lunchroom searching for her double-crossing employer. The whole day she had been trying to avoid him and all he did was give her the mischievous glare that signified he was going to do something. She found him buying lunch and she ran toward him. "Atemu!" She yelled out but he gave no answer to her. "... Yami, wait!" She yelled again in frustration and he turned instantly.

"Something you need, my dear Mana?" He smiled at her and all she could do was growl angrily.

"Don't put on that nice-boy routine! And what I want to say about your offer anyway... I need time to think about it."

"Alright." Yami nodded and placed his lunch down on the nearest table he could find. "I'll give you about... ten seconds."

"What!"

Yami climbed on top of the table and smiled again. "Actually, I have no patience so seven seconds." He whispered to her before turning his attention back to what he was about to do. "HEY EVERYBODY! CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE?" He yelled loudly and soon everyone looked at him, wondering if he was drunk or had gone crazy. "Good. Now as some of you may know my birthday was on Saturday. That day was filled with activities most of the guys in this room can only imagine." That comment earned him some cheers from most of the guys. _What is he doing?_ "But actually," Yami continued further, "this girl right here..." He turned toward Mana and pulled her up on the table with him, his arms around her waist.

"What are you doing?" She whispered lowly. Was he really about to say it in front of everyone?

"Mana Kurosaki gave me the best gift I could've asked for." Yami held on to her tighter and licked the side of her neck. "_Time's up._" He whispered in a hushed tone in her ear.

"Okay, I'll do it. I accept!" Mana answered hastily before he could tell everyone her secret.

Yami smiled and kissed her cheek. "She gave me her undying love and affection. Mana and I are officially boyfriend and girlfriend."

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Wow, Yami is such a manipulative little demon! Well, that's life and it either sucks to be Mana right now because she's in a bad situation or you really want to be her just due to the fact Yami is kissing her. (sighs) Hopefully by now, the prologue to this story makes perfect beyond perfect sense to you all so please review!


	7. Interlude

Alright, now we are at the halfway point of this story! Yay, I'm so happy I even got this far. I couldn't wait till Saturday so I might as well update today. Anyway, this chapter is pretty much like my prologue. Mana's POV and telling of future events which you shall find out in later chapters. Continue reading please!

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Interlude

What in the world is wrong with me?! This shouldn't be happening, no correction... it CAN'T be happening to me!

After everything he has done to me; blackmailing me, tricking me in front of his dad, embarrassing me at school, even going as far as to watch me at the strip club because of _safety reasons_.

I don't hate him, in fact my feelings for him... have started to change little by little. At first I thought he was this evil, manipulative, spoiled, selfish rich teen who was almost as bad as Kaiba, Bakura, and Marik COMBINED!

But as it turned out, I was mistaken.

The word 'evil' was only because I was mad about what he did and I wouldn't consider him evil anymore due to the reason of why he wants me to be his girlfriend. It's one of the most ridiculous reasons that has ever existed, but I find it sad that he does this to make his dad proud. The correct word I think would be 'terrible.'

Manipulative, however is the perfect word for the likes of someone like him. I mean, the way he told his dad and Mahado and everyone else about our _relationship_ was planned and he played it as though he meant every word. He has everyone believing that we're in love and it is unbelievable that they can't tell he's lying! Though I do have fun messing with him around everyone, just to see the flustered look on his face.

I'm pretty sure by now, I know the difference between privileged and spoiled and Yami's definitely not spoiled. I guess he's just not used to certain treatments that people give him, I can't really blame him for that.

Selfish is a funny word. It means to care for yourself and keep your own interests in mind. The entire time that we have been in this fake relationship he hasn't done much that I consider selfish. Actually, some of the things he did were pretty cute.

Like the different colored roses he leaves at my desk every morning...

Or the way he taught me how to waltz in the middle of a crowded party...

Or even though we knew Yugi, Anzu, Kisara and Seto were watching... Yami refused to kiss me. Our deal was to kiss for special situations and he didn't try to.

After what he did for me tonight though, every negative word that I could possibly think of flew out of my mind. How could I think bad thoughts of him when he did a deed I can never forget.

I shouldn't be thinking about this, I shouldn't be thinking about the way he holds my hand or kisses my cheek or even the way he calls my name. I never thought I would ever say this but besides tricking and blackmailing me...

Yami is a complete gentleman.

This is all too confusing and what Mahado said to me only served to make me more confused than before.

The new-found feelings I have for him, are they just some illusion meant to go away or something that's real?

For all that he's done, I can't let it be real. He's tricking me and I absolutely must refuse this emotion. No matter what, I can't accept this...

even if it does hurt me...

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Before anyone clicks on the review button and say that Mana is giving in too easily, this takes place **after** certain events happen which I can't put into more detail without ruining the plot. Alright, now I should probably start typing the next chapter as soon as possible because some marvelous things will happen and because I just really feel like writing. So review please!


	8. The Deal

-grins evilly- SUMMER HAS ARRIVED!!! NO MORE TEACHERS, REPORTS, ESSAYS, SPEECHES, HOMEWORK (not counting summer work) and.... NO SCHOOL IN GENERAL!!! I can sleep in until eleven in the afternoon once again, I'm so freakin happy!!! ^-^ Well, um... excuse me, I'm just really happy and wanted to share that happiness with you all. So have fun reading this chapter and I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

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Chapter Six: The Deal

After his little display in the lunchroom, he helped her off the table and was scolded by a teacher for inappropriate conduct but didn't receive any punishment. Yami had his arm still around her waist and held her even closer. "Let go of me this instant!" Mana whispered in a hushed tone as he led her out of the lunchroom and toward the table where everyone else was at.

"Can't do that Mana. We have to tell them, we really shouldn't leave them in the dark about us." He winked playfully and before she could even respond, they made it to the table and already the questions started.

"Why were you standing on the table?"

"Why are you holding Mana?"

Yami sighed and pushed in front of him, wrapping his arms around her and placed his chin on her shoulder. "Mana dear, you tell them."

_Why the hell do I have to do it? Just suck it up Mana; it will all be worth it later... hopefully._ Mana heaved a great sigh and decided to play along with him to make it seem more believable. She placed her own hands over his arms and tilted her head slightly to his direction. "Yami and I... are going out."

The first reaction came from Seto who stood up and turned his back toward them. Mana wondered why he looked away until she heard the laughter coming out of his mouth. Kisara slapped his shoulder and he quieted down a bit, but did not stop his snickering. "Seto, stop laughing. That's completely rude."

Seto kissed her on the cheek and snickered again. "It's not my fault, I'm just thinking about what a mistake Mana is making."

Yami growled and released Mana, his sights now set on Seto. He slammed both hands on the table which made a rather loud noise. "And what mistake would that be, Kaiba?"

Seto smirked and slammed his own hands on the table, accepting Yami's challenge. "Going out with you of course."

His eyes narrowed at the statement made by him and he chuckled slightly. "Funny, seems like Kisara is making the same mistake." The argument between them was enough to spark the fire within their eyes.

"At least I won't need a highchair to be eye to eye with her."

"At least I won't need Viagra be the time I'm 25."

"I'm not the one who couldn't sleep without his night light until the age of thirteen!"

"And I'm not the one who sleeps with a stuffed Blue-Eyes White Dragon and throws a hissy fit whenever someone looks at it!"

Yugi laughed nervously and pushed Yami back to his seat. "Can we just get through lunch without yelling about embarrassing secrets?" Seto was forced back to his seat by Kisara who didn't seem to be very pleased by the way he and Yami were acting.

"Seto, act your own age. I'd rather date you, not babysit you." Seto gave no response and started to eat his lunch. Mana held in her laughs as she sat down nest to Yami. "Mana, you need to know this."

"Know what?"

"Keeping Yami under wraps, of course. If we were to let these two argue forever, no one would be at peace." Kisara smiled rather warmly at her and Mana smiled back.

"I don't get it." Duke began and Yami turned his attention to him.

"And what would that be?"

"Out of all the girls in the school, why'd you choose her?"

Anzu, who was making random designs on Yugi's hands, stopped what she was doing and glared at Duke. "You say that as though it's a bad thing."

"That's not what I meant!"

"Oh, I see. Jealous that Pharaoh is going out with her and not you?"

"Shut up Jounouchi!"

Mana stared at all of them in absolute fear as the name-calling and the throwing of pencils began. _Are they... always like this?_

"Will you guys stop it?!" Yami screamed out and turned back to Mana. "You're scaring the newcomer here." Before Mana even had a chance, he once again had his arms around her waist. Mana began to contemplate whether or not she should dig her nails into his skin.

Ryou snickered under his breath at the antics of his friends and stopped when his phone started vibrating. He took it out and flipped it open, seeing the text message from Bakura.

_**Ryou, get over here... NOW!**_

He sighed and put the phone back in his pocket. "Sorry guys, I gotta go. Bakura needs me for something." Everyone said bye to him and Ryou went off to the back of the tennis courts which was where Bakura and Marik hung at during lunch time. He found Marik sitting against a tree trunk while Bakura was laying down on a branch about five and a half feet off the ground. "What do you guys what?"

Bakura scoffed. "If I've told you once, I've told you twice; stop hanging out with _Pharaoh_ Yami and those idiots. God, they're annoying."

"Really annoying." Marik began as he threw the tennis ball against the wall and caught it as it bounced back. "You guys are all fucking loud. We could hear you all the way from here."

Ryou scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Oh, sorry about that. Seto was making fun of Yami's new girlfriend so they got into a fight and yeah..." He stopped since he knew neither of them were interested at all in the events of his friends.

Bakura laughed rather loudly and threw down his backpack which almost hit Ryou. "So who's the unlucky skank he's decided to date?" Marik snickered at his friend's comment and waved his hand over to Ryou, a signal for him to sit down. He walked to him and set down his stuff and climbed up on the branch that was below Bakura's. "Anytime little brother..."

"Oh, it's Mana Kurosaki from our class. Don't really know how that happened though..." Ryou laid down on the branch and stared up at the green leaves that covered the sun's rays from hitting his eyes directly. Out of the blue, he heard loud laughter coming from above and below him meaning that Bakura and Marik thought it was more funny than stupid.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Marik yelled as he stood up and looked directly at Ryou. "Isn't she like... you know, too quiet for him? I mean, I thought he'd go for someone like Anzu who believes in _friendship_ and _togetherness_ and _trust_ and all that other stupid junk."

Bakura jumped off his branch and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, Yami can be with whoever he wants but this..." He paused as the bell rang; telling the students that lunch had ended and they needed to go back to class. "I don't believe it. I need to see this for myself. Ryou, Marik come on." They grabbed their stuff and walked back to class where some people were already were, including Mana who was apparently being bugged by Weevil and Rex once again.

"Hey Mana, that outfit would look great in a crumpled heap next to my bed."

"Have you ever played 'Spank the Brunette'? If not, wanna try?"

Her eye twitched nervously at their comments which were filled with sexual innuendos. Everyday those two came up with some new way to annoy her or flirt with her or just flat out disturb her. _Do these two ever shut up!_ Mana was suddenly lifted from her seat and felt someone's lips brush against her cheek. She turned her head and saw it was Yami, who didn't seem happy. "Do my ears deceive me or were you two flirting with **my** girlfriend?"

Weevil and Rex gulped in unison out of fear of what Yami would do to them. "....g-g-girlfriend!" Both murmured and Yami nodded, hugging Mana closer to him.

"If I ever hear or see you guys flirting or bothering Mana, I will personally make your lives hell. Got it?" His crimson eyes pierced right through them and tingles ran up and down their spines. They nodded rather quickly, not wanting to get him even angrier.

"Yes Pharaoh Yami. It won't happen again."

Yami smiled and released Mana from his grip and she sat back down, smiling and relishing the silence from her area. In her opinion, this was the only nice thing Yami had done for her since yesterday and she was ever so grateful. Yami walked back to his seat and was instantly surrounded by Bakura and Marik. "What do you guys want?"

Bakura grinned and used Yami's desk as a seat. "I never thought I'd see this."

"And what would that be?" Yami narrowed his eyes at the two, especially Marik who hated him because his older sister worked at his house and Marik always believed that Yami thought of her as his slave. Bakura's hate for Yami however, was more deeply rooted than that and even went as far as their fathers.

"You getting a girlfriend of course! So how much did you pay her?"

"Excuse me?"

"No way is she going out with you of her own free will. Who would?" Marik and Bakura both laughed.

Yami stood from his seat and stared Bakura into his cold brown eyes with his own blood red ones. "Don't you dare insult me _Bakura_. Both of you get out of my sight." Bakura scoffed and got off of Yami's desk, brushing his shoulder harshly against Yami's. He narrowed his eyes at Marik who returned the glare. "Marik."

"Yami." He responded coldly and went back to his seat as well.

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Seto and Atemu stared at one other with such an intense glare that Akunamkanon and the others wondered why it was happening. Seto picked up his cup and took a quick sip, his eyes never leaving Atemu who bit off pieces of his food from his fork roughly. "Hey Uncle, would you be ok if Atemu had a girlfriend?"

Atemu's fork dropped on the plate, making a loud noise. His father chuckled and smiled. "I would be just fine with that. In fact, I want him to have one. Atemu," he looked at his father and immediately regretted it. "You're good-looking, smart, charming, funny... why don't you have one?"

A nervous look clouded his face and tried to keep his attention on his father and not elsewhere. "Actually, Uncle he do-"

"SETO!" Atemu stood straight up from his seat. "Can I speak to you in private really quickly?" The boys left the dining room and into his father's study. Atemu shut the door behind him and turned back to his cousin. "What are you doing?"

"Covering your ass."

"About what?"

"You and Mana! And when did that happen exactly?"

He shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the wall. "Let's just say it was a birthday gift."

Seto raised a brow and was about to proceed further on the subject, but decided against it. "Whatever. The one making a mistake here isn't Mana, but you Atemu. Your dad is never going to allow an employee, your caretaker to be exact, to date his only son! Tell him the truth."

"When it's time to!"

An irritated growl came from Seto, who crossed his arms over his chest in order to contain his frustration. "Alright, fine. You have until Mana leaves to tell or I'll tell and you won't be so happy when I do."

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"Akunamkanon-sama, I'm taking Mana home now." Mahado said to his boss, who only nodded.

Seto looked over to Atemu and smirked victoriously. "Times up, shorty." He whispered lowly to his cousin.

As Mahado and Mana were leaving, they were stopped by a loud yell. "Mana, wait a minute."

She turned and her mood darkened as she saw it was Atemu. "What do you want, _Young Master_? It can wait until morning, right?" Mana was already mad at him for everything that had occurred throughout the day and this was the last thing she needed to happen.

He glanced over to Mahado nervously and back to Mana. "I um... wanted to apologize for um... last night." Her eyes widened at his words. _Is he going to say it now? Has he gone crazy?_ "It was wrong for me to kiss you, but I don't regret it."

"You have some nerve Atemu! If you think that's the only-"

He cut her off. "Let me finish. I only did that because... I like you." Seto stifled his laughter while both Akunamkanon and Mahado focused their attention on Atemu and Mana. "Actually, I really like you and this is kinda embarrassing but... would you be my girlfriend?"

Mana stared at him for the longest time, almost not believing what he had said. _I could say no, I could reject him and make him look horrible in front of his dad, Mahado, and Seto._ She thought her decision was easy, but then another thought occurred to her. _**Accept my offer or everyone just finds out. **__Then again, if I refuse he'll just tell his dad. _"... I... yes, I'll be your girlfriend."

Mahado smiled at them and handed Atemu the keys. "Why don't you take her home?"

"Thanks Mahado." Atemu took the keys and hooked his arm around Mana's waist. "Can you give me the directions to your house?" She nodded rather slowly and stared at the ground.

"Atemu." He stopped by his father's command and turned. "We'll be talking when you return, got it?"

Atemu nodded and left the house and into the car with Mana. As he drove further down the street, the silence between them grew. "Are you ever going to say something or am I just going to have to get it out of you?"

"Go fall into a ditch and die, how's that?"

He chuckled and drove a little faster. "You know, it's a little hard to drive when I don't know where I'm going."

"I'll tell you when to turn, just keep going." The silence came back, even heavier than before. She began tapping her fingers against the armrest in order to past the time. Unfortunately, this only served to annoy Atemu more and more. He growled lowly and took a quick turn to his left and drove into an alley, stopping there. "I live nowhere near here, you jerk." He unbuckled his seatbelt, locked all the doors and turned toward Mana. "What are you doing?" He made no response and unbuckled her seatbelt as well and pulled her toward him, forcing her to straddle him and keeping her there by holding on to her hips. "Let me go Atemu!"

"Mana, we are out of my house so what's my name again?"

"**Yami**, let me go now!" Mana was now making a mental note to carry a big can of pepper spray even after she left his home.

"Not a chance. Now if you don't stop being impossible, you'll miss a gift I have for you."

"I'm impossible? Do you even own a mirror?"

Yami pouted and pulled her closer. "You might want to let me finish what I have to say before the cops come. I mean, we're parked in a deserted alley and the position we're in looks rather bad, don't you think?" Mana growled but realized he was right and decided not to scream at him. "Thank you, now there is no way you are going to be my girlfriend without having some rules." He reached under his seat and pulled out some papers resembling a contract. "These can be the terms of agreement for our um... relationship."

Mana raised a brow and swiped the contract, combing through it and laughing slightly. "When did you have the time to make a contract?"

"Last night and today."

She stopped directly at the last page which was entitled _**Intimacy Clause**_. "What do you mean by 'intimacy'? Give me some examples." Mana feared for the worst.

Yami smiled slightly and his eyes brightened. "I'd thought you mention that, so I came prepared. Mostly holding hands, hugging, kissing...stuff like that."

"I'll cave for the holding hands since that's harmless. Hugging though, watch where your hands are and it can only be for 10 seconds max."

"Deal." Yami replied quickly, knowing these were reasonable requests.

"Kissing however, is a big no-no. I absolutely refuse to kiss you and I will cut off your lips if you even try to."

A surprise laugh escaped his throat and he shook his head. "Being a couple requires kissing, whether you like it or not.

"We're not going to kiss!"

He sighed hopelessly. They could argue about this all night before an agreement was reached. "Alright, how about this? I can kiss your hand, cheek and forehead when the occasion calls for it." He motioned his hand up and cupped her cheek, startling her a bit. His thumb moved down to her lips and stroked them softly. "As for your lips, only for **very **special occasions. Like when all eyes are on us and it's a last resort."

Mana turned her face away from his hand, his touch making her uncomfortable. She eyed his watch and grimaced at the time. Her shift would start in fifteen minutes. _Well, the whole thing seems reasonable but... _"Are you gonna force me to have sex with you?"

Those very words went right through him, insulting every single last part of him. "As I said before Mana, I'm not a pervert. I..." He turned away from her, feeling embarrassed to look at her. "... would never do that to you."

Instead of thinking it through very carefully, Mana was in a bit of a time-crunch and decided to agree. "I accept, now you got a pen?"

Yami handed her one and she put down her signature and he did the same. "Now you can get off of me." Mana did that and returned to her seat, putting on the seatbelt quickly so she could get home.

Now that she was cooperating with him, he found her apartment building quicker than expected and walked her up to her door to see that she got home safely. "I'm a little surprised at you Mana."

"Oh really? And why's that?" She leaned against her door.

"Well, when I asked you to be my girlfriend at my house, I thought you would say no. Hell, I expected you to say no. Why didn't you?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're kidding me? If I said no, you would have told your dad then and there that I'm a stripper."

"Actually no, I wouldn't have. If you had said no, I would have released you from our deal and kept your secret. Didn't you know that?"

Her face dropped and she pushed herself up away from the door. "You tricked me?" Her mind was racing with thoughts of strangling the teen or doing something just as horrifying to him.

Yami smirked and grabbed her hand, pressing his lips against it. "Sweet dreams Mana, and come over tomorrow around six." He left her there in utter shock. _He... tricked me! That... that... evil, conniving, spoiled, little son of a... No, just forget it Mana. It's your fault for not saying no anyway._

() () () () () () () () ()

That morning was anything but peaceful. She had to deal with Karim and Shada teasing her about going out with the Young Master. Mahado wasn't much help either since all he did was call them lovebirds and laugh at Karim's and Shada's jokes. Isis was the only one who didn't tease or joke with them.

Since she came to his house later, they arrived to school at a time where some people were already there and talking about those two coming out of the same car. They reached the classroom and the first thing Mana noticed was a single red rose lying on her desktop. Even better, it was thornless. She smiled a bit and was hugged from behind by Yami. "Like the flower?" He kissed her cheek.

She laughed. "You know what, I actually do and you have ten seconds."

"Technically, six seconds." He hugged her tighter and whispered lowly in her ear. "And I'll use every second of it."

* * *

Wow, I made them all absolutely insane... Oh well!! So that's that and I can just envision in the cuteness of the next chapter! -smiles widely- Anywho, I hope my Bakura and Marik and Ryou fan girls enjoyed that I made their roles more known. And they are important to the story. Review please!


	9. Holiday Fun

My Sailor Moon first season uncut and unedited and Gravitation complete series just came through the mail and it's all absolutely perfect! Ok, this has got to be the cutest chapter in this entire story and I thank two songs in particular, **Beauty and the Beast** and **Kiss the Girls**, for some scenes in this chapter. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh and there is no way that I can.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Holiday Fun

Fortunately for Mana, school went by rather quickly and quietly with very little trouble. Unfortunately for Atemu however, when they returned to his house Akunamkanon was already there waiting for him. "Dad, you're home early. What's wrong?"

"Nothing at all, but we need to talk."

"Now?"

"Now." His tone was flat and to the point. Atemu nodded and handed Mana his cell phone.

"Can you hold this for me?" Mana nodded and went off to change into her uniform while Atemu followed his dad into the study. _Crap, what did I do now? Oh yeah, our 'talk'.... I forgot about that. _His dad walked across the room and sat down behind his desk.

Atemu stood like a statue, knowing that the slightest movement could cause trouble for him or send his dad the wrong message. "Atemu," his dad started as he folded his fingers together, "I need an explanation."

"And what would this be for?"

Akunamkanon was surprised by how solid Atemu's voice sounded, especially since the boy usually had a nervous twitter in his voice whenever he wanted to talk to him about certain circumstances in his life. "Why out of all the girls you know; the beautiful, smart, dignified girls that I have introduced you to... you chose to be with a girl that I have hired to work in this house? How exactly did that happen?"

"... I need an explanation for why I chose Mana to be my girlfriend?"

"In this house, yes."

Atemu placed one hand in his pocket while his other just laid at his side. Now he had to think of what he should tell his dad, anything would've worked as long as he didn't mention the blackmail part. That would only bring certain death for him. "How do I even begin to explain this? Mana is... too cute for words. She just... the way she smiles, how cheery she is, the way she even looks at me... I-I don't care that she's not the smartest or most refined girl I have known. Mana is perfect for me, everyone else pales in comparison."

His father placed his hands down and stared in amazement at his son. He couldn't tell whether Atemu was actually telling the truth or not. For one thing, the Atemu he raised was never this outright with his feelings. Then again, there was a first time for everything. "Alright, now tell me why you were apologizing to her."

That was the question that caught him off guard. "Uh, well... you see..."

"And no beating around the bush."

Since he wasn't allowed to stall, it would do him no good to stammer. "I pinned her down and kissed her." There was no need to mention the... real reason why she was mad at him.

"Atemu, I'll allow you to date her on the condition that you both act appropriately."

"Since when don't-"

"Boy, when I mean appropriately I mean no funny business whatsoever. I don't even want to hear about you two kissing in this house. Got it?"

"Loud and clear, dad. May I go start my homework now?" Akunamkanon nodded and watched his son leave. He stared at the opened envelope lying on the top of his desk. He picked it up and opened a desk drawer, stuffing it deep inside so it couldn't be found.

() () () () () () () () ()

After Mana was done changing into her uniform, she picked up her backpack and gasped slightly at what fell out. It was the rose Atemu had given her earlier; she picked it up and smelled its sweet scent. "Mana," she turned and saw Isis, "are you done changing?"

"Um, yeah. Just putting my stuff away."

Isis nodded and her eyes perked up when she saw what was in Mana's hand. "Is that a rose?"

"Huh?" She looked down and saw what she meant. "Yeah, it is. Atemu gave it to me at school." Isis moved closer to her and gently lifted the rose away. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Isis smiled and twirled the flower around. "Do you know what this flower means?"

"Red rose means romance. Everyone knows that."

Isis shook her head. "That may be true, but roses have specific meanings." Mana tilted her head and prepared herself to listen. "A single red rose means 'I love you.'" Mana had to stop herself from laughing at the meaning. "Now since it is thornless, that means 'Love at first sight.' So this red rose means 'I loved you from the very first moment I saw you.' Very sweet of the Young Master to give you this." Isis handed the flower back to her and left the room.

Mana stared at the rose and touched the soft petals slowly, almost admiring it. _I loved you from the very first moment I saw you, eh? _She walked over to the corner of the room and threw it harshly into the trash bin. _I wouldn't accept this even if he gave me all the treasures and wonders in the world._

() () () () () () () () ()

**Three Months Later**

Mana hugged her pillow closer and yawned. This Sunday was her first day off in almost a month and she didn't have to dance that day either, so Mana decided to spend the day in bed and delight in the fact that it was holiday break.

"MANA! MANA! HEY, ARE YOU IN?"

She groaned loudly as the pounding at the door continued. Mana dragged herself out of bed and to the door, opening it to reveal Anzu and Kisara. "What time is it?"

"8:30 in the morning, Mana. Time to get going."

"Didn't Kisara call you last night?"

"Yeah, something about... I don't know, I was half-asleep when I answered."

"Well," Kisara started as she and Anzu made their way into the apartment, "tonight is the Christmas party that Yami's father is throwing. We have to buy dresses, get our hair and make-up fixed, and of course look for matching shoes."

"So why are you still in your pajamas?"

There was no way she could possibly tell them that she forgot all about it. That would be completely embarrassing for one thing and rude as well. Mana sighed and walked off to her bathroom. "Let me get ready!" She yelled through the door. Kisara and Anzu sat down on the couch and waited patiently for Mana to shower and dress.

She finished her shower and made her way to her bedroom where she dressed herself in black jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt. _I'll just wear a hat, I'm gonna get my hair done anyway. _A black hat adorned her head and she left her room. "Sorry if I kept you guys waiting for too long. Should we go now?"

Anzu nodded. "Yeah, before everything gets too crowed."

"By the way, don't worry about the costs you two." Kisara pulled out a gold credit card from her purse. "I'll pay for everything. That's what friends do after all."

() () () () () () () () ()

"Alright, how did this one look?" Kisara stepped out of the dressing room and both Anzu and Mana gasped at the dress. It was a form-fitting silver gown with a slit starting at the ankle and ending at mid-thigh. The straps for it went around her neck and there was a V-cut only going as far as to show a line.

"That looks great!"

"You should get that one, looks better on you than the other dresses."

Kisara blushed a bit and turned back to the mirror. "If you guys think it looks that good, then I'll buy it. Anzu, you're turn." Anzu stood and went behind the curtains to change into the numerous dresses she was holding.

Mana was about to pick up the magazine again until she noticed something odd. "Aren't you going to change back into your regular clothes?"

"Not at all. I've already got a bunch of salespeople looking for matching shoes for the dresses we picked, not to mention we still have to get our hair and make-up done. So why not walk out with the dresses?" Mana made an 'o' and diverted her attention toward Anzu who came out with her first dress. Both of them shook their heads and she went back in to change.

"Hey Kisara, would you mind if I asked you something personal?"

"Oh, go right ahead."

"Alright," Mana crossed her legs and turned her comforter toward Kisara. "Seto seems like an egotistical, cold, sarcastic jerk that only cares how his millions grow." Kisara laughed at the description and Mana continued. "I just... just don't understand why someone as sweet as you would go out with him."

"Can I tell you a little story?" Mana nodded and Kisara turned her comforter as well. "You know how my parents are oil tycoons?" Mana answered yes and began to wander what that had to do with anything. "Well, my parents were trying to pair me up with someone who is quote 'worthy enough for our precious gem' unquote."

She raised a brow in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

"They wanted me to marry one of their business partners so their deals would be strengthened by family ties. The problem was most of them watched me growing up and the thought creeped me out or they were at least 30-40 years older than me. Then came Seto." Mana laughed at Kisara's tone when she mentioned his name.

"What was the problem with him?"

Kisara shrugged. "To me, he seemed to be how you described him. To my parents though, he came off as charming and gentleman-like. I still refused him which kind of annoyed him. He sent flowers, I burned them. Gifts, I would just throw them away. And any sweets he gave me, I fed them to the guard dogs. But the guy wouldn't give up!"

Mana held back her laughs at what she was saying. To her, Seto didn't appear to be the type to chase after a girl. If anything, girls probably chased after him. "So how did you go from hating him to falling for him?"

She smiled and let out a happy sigh. "He did the cutest thing. On my 16th birthday, Seto sent me a card and a place to go. I only went to tell him off. Turns out, it was a scavenger hunt and he sent me throughout the city until I stopped at Domino Square. He was there and before I had the chance to yell at him for sending me all over the city, he pointed up and I looked. There was this huge blimp that said, _**Kisara Higurashi, I love you. Would you please give me a chance? **_No one had ever went as far as embarrassing themselves for my affections, so I thought what the hell? And then I transferred to Domino High to be closer to him."

Mana got all doe-eyed at the story and reminded herself to not mention to Seto that she knew the next time she saw him. _That's the sweetest thing I have ever heard! I hope I get a real boyfriend_ _that does something like that for me._

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but I got my dress. I didn't like how the other ones looked. How's this one?"

() () () () () () () () ()

Atemu refused the urge to pace back and forth at the stairwell since his father stopped him because people were arriving. Every year he was subjected to go to this party and this was the first time he actually came with a date. Atemu was rather anxious to see how she looked but sadly, those three weren't coming until later. "Atemu! Have you heard from Mana, Kisara, or Anzu yet? Are they almost here?"

Atemu shrugged his shoulders. "Yugi, I have no clue. But really, thank you for coming. If I had to deal with everyone by myself again, I don't know what I would've done."

"No problem, but can you take the bandages off your fingers? They don't look right."

He stared down and laughed. "Yeah, you have a point there. Back in a few." He went off to the bathroom and winced in pain as he took off every bandage on his fingers and palms. The cuts seemed to have been healing a bit, but they still stung when he moved his fingers. _It'll all be worth it later on..._

An hour passed before the party started to get going, especially when the girls finally arrived. Atemu froze in place as they came through, although his attention wasn't drawn to all three but one in particular. "... Mana." It was hard to believe it was her since the girl that was approaching him looked as though she were royalty. The dress that she had one was a dark golden color and it even looked like a ball gown the way it poofed up at the bottom. It was strapless as well and she had a transparent wrap around her shoulders. "Is that really you?"

Mana was blushing so much since she wasn't used to wearing that kind of stuff. She could hardly look at him and even though she was his 'date' to the function, the only reason she went was because she didn't want to be part of the catering service. "Yeah, it is."

Her voice was so shaky and she couldn't even try to hide it. Atemu took her hands and squeezed reassuringly. "You look beautiful Mana. You really do." A smile came out and she finally looked up at him. "All you have to do is smile and nod. Just don't wander off."

"Oh trust me, I'm not going anywhere." Atemu had already told her in advance that this was his dad's party and it was filled with his business associates, partners, and friends. If Mana was allowed to wander, she'd be surrounded by rich folk and would never find Yugi, Seto, Anzu or Kisara. She took a quick look at Atemu and her eyes softened. _He... actually looks pretty handsome._

"Oh my word, would you look at them?"

"Don't they look so good together?"

"Seto Kaiba is such a refined young man and of course he would choose someone as elegant as Kisara Higurashi to be his fiancé."

"They're engaged?"

"Well, of course. They are to be married after they finish their studies."

Atemu bit back a few growls as he made his way to the main hall and he saw Seto and Kisara waltzing. Seto briefly looked over to Atemu and winked. _Challenging me, are you? I shall not lose! _He turned and saw Mana was still behind him. "Come on Mana, we're dancing." He pulled her out to the middle of the crowd. "Give me your hand."

"What are you doing? I'm not dancing!"

"There are others as well. We're not the only ones."

"Never!"

Atemu smirked and rubbed his chin. "Mana, this is your first real dance isn't it?"

She blushed and looked away. "Why would you think that?" A sudden gasp occurred as the words came out of her mouth. _No way..._

"By your nervousness. Now why don't you take my hand and we'll see how it goes from there." Mana didn't want to dance but already there were people eyeing them. She might as well get it over with since it was only a waltz. _I don't even know how to do this... _Mana enclosed her right hand in his left. "Alright, now put your other hand on my shoulder." She did that as well and he placed his hand on her shoulder blade. "I'm going to take two steps forward and you take two back. Just follow my lead." When he took his first step, her feet were in the way.

"OW! That hurt! This shouldn't be part of the dance."

"It's not, just take normal steps not the baby ones that will get your feet crushed."

They took their steps again and it went along normally until he turned them while the steps were still occurring. This caused her heel to step on his foot. Atemu bit his bottom lip in pain and tried to ignore it. Less and less mistakes happened and their dancing soon looked decent. But then something happened that neither of them had expected. All the other dancers were leaving the floor due to Seto and Yugi telling them off. Atemu and Mana noticed and separated, both blushing since now all the attention was on them.

"Mana, you're not going away so easily." Anzu came from behind and pushed her toward Atemu.

"Come on, don't be a chicken Pharaoh." Yugi shoved him closer to Mana.

They stared at the other's blushing face for the longest time before Atemu took the initiative and extended his hand toward her. "Mana, may I have this dance?"

"Y-you may." She took his hand and they assumed the position from earlier. "I don't think I can do this. I don't know how to waltz, I'm just-"

"Stop." His tone was flat and downright serious. "All you need to do is focus on me and I'll focus on you. Forget everybody else, just concentrate on us." They danced again and Mana took in his words about ignoring everyone around them. Strangely enough, it was working and soon the only thing that was in her line of vision was the beautiful boy dancing with her. The soft and slow music served to make the dream both were sharing even more intense.

"Mahado, look!" Karim pulled on his friend's arm till he finally turned.

"What do you want? We have to serve the guests."

Karim groaned and pointed toward a crowd of people who were watching and chattering about Atemu and the mystery girl he was dancing with. "The Young Master and Mana, look at them." Both Karim and Mahado ran up the stairs in order to view them better from the banister. "They look so cute together, who would've guessed?"

"Yeah, who would've..." Mahado paid close attention to the teens and how distracted they seemed to be. _Odd, Mana seems to be enjoying herself around Atemu. This is the first time I've seen her happy and not annoyed at him, how strange. _

Mana couldn't believe that this was even real. The entire dance with Atemu was almost make-believe due to how gently and gracefully they moved across the floor, when he spun her; the force he used to pull her back into his arms, and the more they danced the further they believe they were the lonely ones there. It didn't even matter how much time had passed before the music slowly came to an end and they stopped in the center of the floor. Atemu whispered in a tone which wasn't very recognizable to her. "I'm going to let you now Mana." He released her body from the dancing position, but still held onto her hand. Atemu bowed and kissed her hand as well. Everything was almost enchanting. The crowd applauded them and began gossiping again.

"Is that Atemu Montu?"

"He's such a gorgeous young man."

"Who is that girl he is with?"

"I wonder which family she is from."

Once they were off the floor, Atemu began dragging her up the stairs. "I have to show you something."

"What are you talking about? Let me go!"

"Trust me, you'll like this." The kind of tone he was expressing was similar to that of a kid on a sugar high. At the end of the hall was his father's room which Atemu and Mana entered.

"Why are we here?" He didn't answer immediately but pulled her to the other side of the room.

"We are in my dad's room solely because he has a balcony. Now," he positioned her right to an angle where the garden was facing her. "Wait right here." As quickly as he could, Atemu turned off the lights in the room and on the balcony as well. He leaned over the railing and gave a loud clap. "Look down." Mana did that, expecting something ridiculous to occur. Out of nowhere, bright lights began to shine in the backyard across the grass. She gasped and covered her mouth in shock at it said.

**To The Cutest Girl, Merry Christmas Mana**

However, it seemed the lights were dimmed by something else. "Why don't they seem as bright as every other light?"

"Oh right." Atemu crossed one leg behind his other to be more comfortable. "Those are rose petals. All the lights down there are covered by rose petals. It took all day to do, but it was worth it."

For the first time that night, Mana noticed the cuts on his hands. "Are those from the thorns?"

"Couldn't find the gloves, so yeah."

"Oh."

Mana continued to stare at the message down there and it somehow reminded her of how Seto got Kisara to go out with him. _Only a fool in love would go as far as embarrassing themselves. _"Do you like it?"

_However, everyone can see this message. It's for show, Atemu isn't a fool in love. He's just toying with me, as usual. _Her attention was still directed toward the lights when she gave her reply. "It's okay, I guess." She glanced to her side to see his reaction but he didn't have a single one.

"Alright then. Well, thanks for coming tonight. I hope you will enjoy something here." With that said, Atemu left the balcony and his father's room and returned downstairs to spend the rest of the night mostly surrounded by people he couldn't stand.

() () () () () () () () ()

Christmas came and like most people, everyone was with their families. At least, they were for the most part. Christmas night, around 7:30 near the docks, were Mana, Yugi, Anzu and Kisara. Anzu had her arms around Yugi, using him to support her body while Mana and Kisara sat down with their legs hanging over the edge. "Remind me again why we're all here? Oh that's right! Because the fabulous fighting duo said, 'wait at Domino Pier at 7:00 for Christmas dinner with friends.' Wasn't that it? So thank you Mana and Kisara, because I can't thank your boyfriends right now."

Mana didn't even bother to reply to Anzu's complaint because she completely agreed with her statement but couldn't say anything without sounding horrible. Kisara however, was quick to defend Seto. "I know its cold out here, but there is a reason for all of us to be here."

"Not really." Yugi replied as he took off his jacket and scarf and handed them to Anzu who took them happily. "Seto's getting the surprise and Yami just didn't want to freeze his butt off out here."

"Then why are you still here?" Kisara and Mana both asked.

Yugi nervously laughed and blushed lightly. "I um... didn't want Anzu to um... be cold alone."

"Yugi, you're such a sweetheart." Anzu gave him a quick peck on the cheek which caused his face to match the redness of a tomato. Before long, a loud horn was heard throughout the pier and a rather large yacht came through called **Blue Eyes Ultimate**. "Are we going in that?"

"I suppose so." Kisara got up and helped Mana get to her feet. Mana marveled at the yacht and laughed. _These guys live really different lives. _The yacht stopped and the opening was let down and at the very top was Seto and Yami waving at them. They entered the boat as quickly as they could to escape the cold and the opening was soon closed. "Hey, where's everyone else?"

"Honda decided to spend Christmas with his family."

"Duke's father took him to the mountains."

"Ryou couldn't come as long as Yami is still coming."

"And Kaiba refused for Jounouchi to come which meant Mai couldn't be here as well."

Yugi shook his head at the two of them and walked down the hall. "It's this way, right?"

Seto walked briskly in front of him and waved his hand so everyone would follow him. "We'll be eating in the main hall, so be sure to not wander off. It's easy to get lost here." After following the straight path, the main hall was reached they were taken back by the sight of it. The hall was decorated with all kinds of Christmas decorations and there was a buffet table in the middle that was filled with all kinds of food. "Eat to your heart's content, my treat." The words seemed almost genuine even though they came out of Seto's mouth.

They girls seemed more excited to eat and almost as fast as lightening fill their plates to the brim and picked a table with a view. The guys laughed a bit and grabbed plates of their own. "Yami, can I ask you something? I mean, this might seem a bit rude but I'm just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"What is it Yugi? Ask me anything." Yami put almost five pieces of ham on his plate along with some blowfish and white rice, with a bit of caviar on top for flavor.

"Have you and Mana kissed yet?"

Yami dropped his fork, not expecting that question at all. Especially from Yugi. "Um.. why do you ask?"

"Curiosity, and Mana doesn't seem to return all the feelings you have for her."

_Crap, should've know Yugi would notice her attitude. _"They have kissed."

"What? When?" Yugi poured himself a glass of apple cider since Seto's father would never allow alcohol on his yacht while minors were on board alone.

"From what Yami said, something about his bed and at night-"

"KAIBA!" Yami leaned forward and covered his cousin's mouth with his hand. "Shut up! Don't talk about that."

Seto brushed him aside and set his plate down at a nearby table, which was a reasonable distance away from the girls so their conversation could be kept private. "Any other times? Bet she kissed you for the roses you always send her."

Yami shook his head. Yugi set his plate down too and sat down on the cushy chair. "Yeah, that's not much. You guys kissed after your waltz, right? I mean, that was really sweet."

Again, Yami shook his head. Seto laughed. "Well, I'm sure that after the whole thing with the lights in the garden writing out that message they kissed. Right Yami?"

He set his plate down on the same table and took the seat between Kaiba's and Yugi's. He cut a piece of ham and bit if off his fork. For the third time in a row, he shook his head. "No."

"Why not?"

"Simple. Mana won't let me and I don't ask nor try to. It's better that way."

() () () () () () () () ()

Mana sighed as she held onto the railings at the end of the boat. Seto told them that they would return to the pier around midnight, so they could all relax and enjoy the evening until then. In short, it was one of the weirdest Christmases she ever had but it was also the first one in years that she wasn't alone through. "Whatcha doing?" Mana didn't even bother to turn since the voice was easily recognizable.

"Staring out into the sea and looking at stars. You can do the same thing on the other side of the boat Yami." She said to him rather coldly, hoping to get the message across that she didn't want him around her. He however, made no sudden movements or reactions to her harsh words. "When will this end?"

"What ends?"

"Th-this! This relationship you cooked up! You know that I don't like you like that and I sincerely doubt you like me so can you just end it? Or do you just enjoy tormenting me?" Mana screamed at him, not caring if anyone else heard.

Yami narrowed his eyes and stared down toward the small waves the yacht was creating. "I'm not doing this to piss you off, I'm doing it for my dad."

"Oh please! That is the biggest load of-"

"Will you shut up and let me talk for five minutes?" His patience was wearing thin and practically at his breaking point. She scoffed and quieted down for him to continue. "My dad wanted me to have a girlfriend because he thinks it'll set my priorities straight. Problem was, I didn't want any of the girls he introduced me to because they were all shallow creatures that saw my family's money. Girls at school, they don't look beyond skin deep." Mana fiddled with her fingers, trying to pay minimal attention to him. The sooner the boat went back to port, the better. "I want a girl who'll see me for me. Not Yami Namonaki, the heartthrob Pharaoh or Atemu Montu, the witty and charming heir. Just... me. Until then, I'm with you so my dad gets off my back." His entire mood appeared to have turned softer. _Feels good to get that out of my system. But, if only..._

"Yami, that's ridiculous. It's your life, your choice. You shouldn't live it the way your dad tells you to."

"You wouldn't understand. My dad's all I have, it's... I can't really explain it but... haven't you ever wanted please someone? To see them smile at you because of something you did? To hear them say '_I'm proud of you_' and do practically anything to hear it again? It's exhausting and pathetic, but the feeling you receive afterwards is exhilarating." Mana's eyes widened when he explained it all. She was like that once, when her family was alive. Being the oldest child was a big responsibility, but she managed for the reasons Yami had said. Mana blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall out. "I suppose it seems stupid when you don't understand."

Mana wiped off the stray tear that fell down her cheek and lowered her head as unexplained guilt filled her body. "I... it's not stupid..."

Yami turned around and smiled. He resumed his position so he faced Mana. "Will you dance with me?"

"What? No, I-"

Yami chuckled and grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer. "We have company over there. Let's give them a show." Mana shook her head vehemently and he just pulled her closer. "If you do this, I will end this like you want."

"Tonight?"

"Not tonight, but soon." She didn't have time to give him her answer when he entwined his left hand with her right and put his right hand at her waist and forced her other hand onto his shoulder. Instead of moving slowly like they did at the party, he started turning as fast as he could making Mana turn with him.

"AH!" She yelped in surprise at the sudden movement, but laughed when he ended up dipping her. "How do you know how to dance like this?"

Yami lifted her back up and moved fast, but not like before. "Four years of ballroom dancing lessons. I also know how to play the piano."

She giggled as he spun her out and brought her back in, trying to imagine him doing those things willingly. "Really?"

"Really. I'll play for you some time."

"Haha, no."

Meanwhile on the upper level; Seto, Kisara, Yugi and Anzu watched the dancing pair and grumbled. "I wish I knew what they were talking about."

"Seto, we shouldn't be here." He ignored completely what Kisara had said just now since that wasn't what he wanted to do.

"Kisara's right, we should let them have some alone time."

"Yugi, they're our friends. We should see how this turns out." Yugi did a face palm and groaned. Anzu and Seto wanted to stay and watch while he and Kisara wanted to go. How very strange it was. But in the end, all four of them kept watching.

Yami spun her out again, but this time brought her back with a sharper movement that caused her to lose her step and fall against his chest. He maintained the balanced and caught her well before they both fell. "You alright?" Genuine worry resonated in his voice.

Mana nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm... fine." She lifted her head up and blushed as she realized how closer their faces were The feel of his body against hers felt oddly right and caused both of them to become very nervous. Mana stared into his eyes and saw that he wasn't looking at her's, but at her lips. She licked her suddenly dry mouth and that served to confuse Yami. _Does she want me to kiss her? _He leaned in a little closer and she could feel his hot breath cascading down on her face. Her heartbeat quickened as their lips inched closer to the others, the suspense of it all drove her insane.

However, Yami pushed Mana away from him and smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're fine. Um, I should probably take your advice and go on the other side of the boat to watch the stars. Sorry for bugging you." He left Mana there in utter shock and confusion at what happened and what didn't. _He didn't kiss me? I thought he was going to, I... I should feel glad he didn't. But... _She brushed her bangs aside and looked over her shoulder to see Yami fading away in the distance. _Why don't I?

* * *

_

Okay, I take it back. THIS is the longest chapter I have ever written. So holidays can be fun and just utterly heartwarming, especially when we all know it's the middle of summer. Well, I'm gonna go and eat now. Review please!


	10. Warning!

Alright, well I'm all hopped up on sugar now so I'm about as jittery as Hammy from **Over the Hedge**! So go on and read this chapter! By the way, this story actually has a villain(s)... they just aren't portrayed as much as they should be. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, only the plot that is used here.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Warning!

Karim and Shada watched as Mana washed the dishes rather angrily. She mumbled incoherently while she ran the sponge over the stains and scrubbed it away with such force that made the plates shine. Karim gulped and attempted to approach her but Shada pulled him back, shaking his head. "Don't even try." He warned in a hushed tone. "She seems pissed, better to leave her alone."

"Well, it's not good to just leave her like that. We should try." Karim shrugged Shada's hand away and walked toward Mana, who just shoved a pot into the dishwasher nearly breaking it. "Hey Mana, how you doing? Anything..." His voice trailed off as the shot him a terrifying glare that would send anyone heading for the hills. He backed away slowly till he was next to Shada once again. "How long has she been like this?"

"A while." Both Shada and Karim were worried about her, but neither wanted to know how bad her temper actually was. Usually she was calm and quite cheerful, but if she was close to breaking a metal pan then it was a good idea to steer away from her. "Hey, where's Mahado?"

"Out back, helping Isis. Why?"

"They're family. He should know how to talk to her." Karim nodded in agreement and both went off to the backyard to get Mahado. They found him giving Isis a foot rub while she sat down looking rather tired. "Mahado!"

"We need your help!"

He sighed and put Isis' foot down. "I'll be right back, okay?" She nodded and he walked with the two who led him outside the kitchen. "What's so important?"

"Find out what's wrong with Mana. Shada and I are worried but..."

"But what?"

Shada sighed. "Mana seems like the type of girl to have a temper and since you can cope with Isis' temper-"

"-then you should be able to deal with Mana's. After all, she is your precious little cousin." They pushed him through the doorway, causing him to almost fall to the floor.

That was when he caught a glimpse of Mana and realized exactly what Karim and Shada were talking about. Her lips were curled into a scowl and her eyes narrowed, as if she were focusing her thoughts on one thing in particular. _Only one way to find out what's wrong._ Mahado exhaled deeply and made his way closer to Mana till he was on the other side of the counter. "So... what's new with you?" The words seemed to roll off his tongue and he was very surprised by how she reacted.

She raised a large knife that she was washing and stabbed it into the cutting board deep enough for it to stand on its own. Mahado gulped nervously, worried that he too would be like that cutting board. "Can I ask you something?" He nodded since he was too scared to start talking. "Alright. A friend of mine... Shizuka is um... dating this one jerk... uh, Duke Devlin. Yeah and she doesn't like him a lot and she can't tell whether the way he treats her is sincere or just teasing. And she can't end the relationship because... well, she just can't. Worst off, she's starting to like... anyway, what's Shizuka suppose to do?"

_Is that all? Really? I was expecting something life or death, not plain old teen drama. I should've known. _"Um, well she could say she doesn't like him."

"Tried that, didn't work."

"Avoid him?"

"Can't, he's everywhere these days."

He sighed and realized something rather quickly. _She seems a little too involved in a problem that has nothing to do with her. How odd. _Mahado reached for the knife on the cutting board and jerked it off the board and set it down since the sight was bothering him. "How about she give him a chance? The only way to know whether they guy is sincere or not is to give him the opportunity to be."

Mana pressed her lips together and grabbed the dishwasher soap, squeezing a good amount out and closed the washer. "She can't! This guy... Duke is a trickster! The only thing that will accomplish is confuse her more and just fall deeper into his trap!"

Mahado smirked as he became sure who exactly she was talking about. "_Shizuka _will never know unless she gives _Duke _a chance. Maybe she just needs to meet him halfway. Her relationship might end up great like yours and Atemu's, right?"

She blushed and lowered her head since she didn't want to see the look in his eyes. "I-I gotta go do laundry." Mana ran out of the kitchen and as soon as she was gone, Atemu entered. Though he seemed calm, his eyes expressed how his mood was the same as Mana's.

Instead of asking what was wrong like he usually would, Mahado watched Atemu raid the fridge and take out anything that didn't need to be cooked in order for it to be edible. Almost immediately did Atemu start gulping down the entire carton of punch and finished it within a few gulps and started stuffing leftovers into his mouth. He then grabbed a knife and started cutting up the ham and cheese which he ate as well. Mahado was now wondering what got Atemu upset enough to clean out the fridge by eating everything. "Young Master, are you hungry for anything specific?"

"No." Atemu answered flatly and picked up a bottle and a bottle opener to get the top off. He stared at it, wondering what the drink really was. "Is hard lemonade the same as regular lemonade?"

"Of course not! Why would- ATEMU!" Mahado leaped forward and grabbed the bottle away from the teen before a drop entered his mouth. "That's alcohol! And what the hell are you doing? Other people in this house have to eat; this food is not bought so you can finish it all in one day." Mahado lectured him as he put the food back into the fridge and threw away the wrappers of whatever he finished. "Atemu, I know you really well and this I know for certain. You only raid the fridge like this when you're upset about something. What's on your mind?"

Atemu sighed and sat down on a stool while Mahado leaned against the counter. "Um, there's this friend of mine..."

"Is this friend Duke?"

"Yeah! And um, he's with this girl..."

"Shizuka."

Atemu nodded and smiled. "You never cease to amaze me. Anyway, it's just... Shizuka barely gives any gratitude to Duke for anything he does for her. He even went as far as injuring himself to express how much he cares for her and she just acted like it was nothing. Uh... Shizuka treats um Duke like he's a walking plague, a fucking virus. What's he to do?"

Mahado's mouth twitched at Atemu's story. He was trying so hard to laugh since the problem appeared to be serious to the Young Master but it was almost the same as Mana's. _These two have more in common than they think. Have they ever heard of communication? _"Uh, how about you tell _Duke _to talk to her?"

Atemu scoffed. "Like she'll listen."

"Okay, how about treating... _Shizuka _nicer?"

"He does and she's ungrateful. Doesn't even say thank you."

_I don't believe it. They're idiots! Both of them! _"How about telling _Duke _to do something nice for her? Just take her out, give her some space and just talk with her."

Atemu stood from his stool and gave a weak smile. "I'll tell him that for sure." He left the kitchen and Mahado sighed heavily, allowing his head to drop on the counter. He eyed the fridge and began to contemplate whether or not he should get the hard lemonade.

"Mana!" Atemu yelled as he found her in the laundry room, folding the clean clothes into a basket and putting the dirty ones into the washer. She turned and narrowed her eyes the moment their eyes met. "Can I talk to you?"

"Unless the words are 'Mana, I release you from our deal' I don't wanna hear it."

Atemu entered the very small room and shut the door behind him. Mana saw what he was trying to do and raced for the doorknob, but his hand was already over it and he wasn't planning on letting it go anytime soon. Now she was frustrated and figured whatever Atemu had to say was a waste of time. "Go on a date with me..."

And it was...

"And I'll release you."

NOT!

The hostility in the room cooled down a bit when he mentioned these words. Mana backed up a bit before hitting the basket with the back of her ankles and falling into it. "Ow, that hurt." She mumbled as she tried to get herself up but proved to be useless. Atemu reached out his hands and Mana grasped them tightly as he pulled her up. However, Mana stood up too quickly and they ended up with Atemu against the wall with Mana in his arms. They blushed and moved away from each other. "Uh, thanks." Atemu nodded, not even remembering what he was saying earlier. "So um, a date?"

"Yeah. I wanna take you out on a date, so uh... be here tomorrow at 9:30 am. At the end of our date, I'll terminate the contract."

Mana smiled happily and stuck out her hand toward him. "That's something I'll say yes to! You have to shake on it though if you really mean it."

Atemu stared at her hand and back at her happy face. _She'll be happier once this whole ordeal is over. _He extended his own hand and shook hers softly. "Agreed Mana."

() () () () () () () () ()

Mana stood in front of the door for the longest time, taking time to look over her outfit once again. She wore a brown skirt that was about 4 inches above the knees, brown boots, a pink shirt that covered some of the skirt and a hat that hid her wavy hair. She was too excited because after today she would no longer have to subject to being Atemu's 'girlfriend'. Mana took out her key and opened the door, finding no one in sight. _Where is everyone? _"Hello? Anyone home?" She called out and waited for a response as she walked further in.

"Mana!" She looked up and saw Atemu leaning up on the banister. "I'm gonna be down in a few, just gotta brush my teeth. You can wait right there." Mana nodded and was about to sit down on the couch until she heard Atemu speak again. "Hey Mana, um... you look really cute." He turned back to his bathroom and shut the door.

_Did he mean it or was he just saying that? _Mana sighed and walked off to the living room to find Mahado there. _Odd, I thought he doesn't come until ten. _"Hey Mahado, where's everyone else?" She sat down on the couch across from where he was sitting.

"Shada and Karim said they are going to be late and Isis took the day off." His tone seemed somewhat scary and his eyes were focused solely on her. It didn't make much sense to her why he seemed to look annoyed.

"So," Mana tapped her fingers against her knees nervously and spoke to break the silence. "Anything new? Uh, I heard you and Isis are going to Kyoto to visit your family."

"Yeah, Kyoto's pretty in the spring. Mana, I don't understand you." His blue-gray eyes softened as he looked away. "Yesterday when you were talking about Duke and Shizuka, you were really talking about you and Atemu weren't you?"

"Mahado, I-"

He stood up swiftly and cut her off. "Don't lie to me! If what you said yesterday was true then tell me your feelings for him; do you even have any for him?"

Mana bit her lip and stared at the ground. In all honesty, that was the question that kept her up at night. How was she supposed to give an answer to Mahado when she didn't know herself? "I-I..." The words fumbled in her mind and became even worse on her tongue. Mana couldn't answer the question when the answer confused her.

"If you have any compassion for him, you'll tell him how you really feel. Atemu does not need to rely on the false hope that you like him. That boy's been through enough in his life and he doesn't need another heartache like this." Mahado hoped that he got through to her since he was the closest one to both of them at this point.

"Compassion?" Mana muttered as she lifted her head. "I have compassion?! What about him? He's the one that forced me into this relationship in the first place! You wanna know my feelings for him, fine! I loathe him, I detest him! I. Hate. Him! If I have to have compassion, then that spoiled brat up there should buy a new heart because the one he was right now has shriveled up and died!" Mana panted heavily from trying to control her voice and temper not to mention to catch her breath as well.

Mahado's eyes widened at her words. _If she feels this strongly about him, how in the world did he get her to go out with him? _He sat back down and placed his cheek on his palm. "... You should just tell him that now... instead of later. It'll be easy for both of you, and besides... the longer you wait, the harder it will be to repeat those words."

Suddenly, the pounding of running feet was heard and Atemu stood in the room, smiling. "Mahado, tell my dad I'll be home around ten. Let's go Mana." He held out his hand to her and she took it, though it seemed pointless to after what she had just told Mahado. _I wonder if he heard us talking. Even if he did, it shouldn't be a surprise. _They made their way to the garage and Mana saw that he wasn't going toward any of the cars but a vehicle in the back. "Ever ridden on a motorcycle before?"

She shook her head. "Can't say that I have. Wait... we're not-"

"Oh yes we are." Atemu took out a helmet and handed it to her. "Put this on and get on."

Mana took the helmet and sat down behind him. She put it on and was uncomfortable with the fact that it was a little big. "Okay, let's go."

"Um, you need to hold on to me otherwise you'll fall off." Mana groaned and hesitantly put her arms around his waist. "Hang on tight, alright?" She nodded and saw as he revved the engine as the garage door opened all the way revealing the outside.

"Atemu, you do know how to ride this thing... right?"

"Of course I do! Am I so irresponsible as to drive this thing and not know how?"

"Yeah, you are!"

Atemu shrugged his shoulders and revved the engine once more. "Oh well then. Hang on!" He yelled as he drove out of the garage and driveway and into the road and Mana was holding on tight for her life since they were going too fast and zooming past the cars.

Mana didn't like how reckless he was driving the motorcycle and she especially didn't like that not only was he risking his life but hers as well. "ATEMU! SLOW DOWN!"

"SORRY! CAN'T HEAR YOU! I HAVE NO CLUE WHO ATEMU IS!"

She groaned in irritation and held on tighter, trying to make sure he heard her 'right' this time. "YAMI! SLOW DOWN!"

"FASTER?"

"NO!"

"OKAY THEN!" Yami drove even faster and Mana screamed loudly and she could've sworn that he was laughing at her or at the situation. But either way, he was laughing and that only made him speed up. _We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!_

() () () () () () () () ()

After the ride from hell was done with, they stopped at Domino Square and decided to walk instead of driving since Mana was too freaked out to ride with him again and it was easier to just walk. Their first stop was at a theater and for Yami's own little amusement; he picked a psychological horror movie. Mana protested as much as she could before Yami dragged her in with him and chose seats a little high from the screen. She slurped her drink and tried to ignore the air conditioner that was blowing in her direction, but the chills traveling through her body and the goosebumps on her arms made it quite difficult to. Yami noticed her shivering and knew that Mana would never admit, to him anyway, that she was cold. "Mana, here." He took off his jacket and handed it to her.

Mana blushed at the gesture and shook her head. "Um, no thanks. I'm not that cold, it'll pass anyway."

Yami sighed and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. "I'm sure that in another ten minutes, your teeth will be chattering. Please Mana, don't be so stubborn today." His voice was softer and more convincing than earlier so in order to escape the cold, she accepted the jacket. Yami laughed slightly and slurped his drink. "See? It's better when we get along."

"I don't have to get along with you. I just have to put up with you until the so-called date is over." Mana threw a piece of popcorn at him which fell onto the floor.

He then grabbed two pieces of popcorn, put on in his mouth and threw the other at Mana's face. "You know, this day can be a lot of fun or just very long and death defyingly slow. For today only, can you drop the attitude?" She never gave him an answer since the previews stopped and the movie was finally starting.

Throughout the movie, Mana fought the urge to scream since she didn't want to embarrass herself... not to mention she had to watch Yami if he was going to make a move on her since that's what most guys did in movie theaters. Yami eyed her quickly and saw that her eyes were fixed on the screen, horrified at what she was watching. He outstretched his arm over to her, almost around her shoulders until popcorn was thrown at his face. "Don't you even dare try that lame move. Lemme guess, you were just yawing and stretching your arm right?" Mana laughed until the popcorn bucket was snatched from her arms.

"Hysterical. Did you make that up yourself? I just wanted the popcorn, you were holding onto this like your life depended on it. Relax a bit, it's just a movie." She snatched the bucket from him and placed it on her lap and sunk into her seat as more scary parts came up. Mana shrieked lowly and grabbed what she thought was her armrest but was actually Yami's hand and was squeezing it tightly. "I don't mind if you wanna hold my hand, but can you not squeeze it to death?" Mana gasped and released it, blushing a bit and mumbled an apology.

More times their fingers touched when they reached into the popcorn bucket at the same time but one of them always retracted their hand to avoid touching. During the climax of the movie, Mana was clutching onto the bucket with one hand and covering her mouth to keep from screaming or making any noises. And Yami rubbed his forehead to try to block out some of the screen since it was getting a little tense. Loud screams erupted from the theater when they witnessed a dead body leaning against a glass wall. Mana screamed as well and, from her sudden movement, ended up tossing some of the popcorn out of the bucket and onto Yami's head. "Oh gosh! I am so..." She couldn't even finish the sentence once she saw the food stuck in his spiky hair and couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "You look so stupid!!" Mana laughed even harder.

Yami shook his head, trying to get all the popcorn out and was getting angrier as her laughs became louder. _I'll give you something to laugh about. _He tore the bucket away from her clutches and dumped the rest of the contents onto her own head. Her laughs stopped and she froze as she felt the food fall. "Now that's funny!" Yami laughed rather loudly at her and she shrugged and grabbed whatever popcorn was left on her and threw it back at him. He did the same and both were laughing by how ridiculous the other one looked with food stuck on them. Even though Mana and Yami seemed to be enjoying themselves, the people in the theater were wondering why that couple was laughing when the movie had such a sad and creepy ending. "Oh crap..."

"What?" Mana asked as her laughs died down.

"Look around us. We made such a mess." She looked around and saw what he meant. There was popcorn all over their area and if they were found with the mess by the employees, they'd probably be banned. "Come on!" He grabbed her hand and they ran out of the theater, pushing people out of their way till they made it outside.

It wasn't until they were a good distance away from the theater did Mana speak up. "I think we can stop running now."

Yami slowed down to a halt and both panted from the running and slight adrenaline rush that was coursing through their bodies. "I uh, suppose we should get going." Mana nodded and they made their way down the street. "What did you think of the movie?"

"Scary."

He chuckled. "It was a horror movie, what did you expect for it to be? Full of sunshine and cookies!"

"What did **you **expect to happen during it? I would leap into your arms for protection against the monsters?" Her tone was full of sarcasm and humor.

"That's not a bad suggestion but if you did that," he looked down and stopped, causing her to stop and notice that they were still holding hands. "I would lose all respect for you." His grip on her hand loosened and he expected Mana to remove her hand from his, what she did however startled them both.

She tightened her hold on his hand and turned around, linking his other hand with her own and kissed his cheek so swiftly that Yami would have missed it if he blinked... which he didn't. He lowered his head and was hoping his long blonde bangs would cover his quickly reddening face. "... don't lose your respect for me then." Mana smiled and when he didn't reply back, she released one of his hands and brushed his bangs aside. "You okay?"

Yami bit his lip and yanked his other hand free. "Um... w-why did you um, do that? T-the kiss..." His words were mumbled and he still did not lift his head to look at her.

Mana giggled and guessed that he was blushing. "Well, you said that I should just relax and since today is the day I get to break it off with you, I feel like messing with you today. We're in public are we not? Until the end of this date, I'm your girlfriend and I will act like it. So..." She took his hand in her own and pulled him forward. "Act like you're having fun!"

_... Is she high or actually serious? _Yami nodded and smiled, no longer blushing like a small child. "Alright, then let's enjoy the day."

() () () () () () () () ()

Throughout the afternoon, Mana and Yami actually enjoyed themselves. After running away from the theater, they went to a couple of shops where they tried on ridiculous outfits, costumes, and even stopped at the arcade where they played some video games which he creamed her at and DDR which she annihilated him at. Around five o'clock, they stopped at a restaurant and chatted normally instead of fighting like they usually did. "Mana, I um... have something to give you."

"Really?" Mana put her menu down and was remembering all the shops they went to, thinking if he bought her anything while they were there. "Lemme see."

"Close your eyes." She sighed and did that. "No peaking." To make sure that he knew she wasn't peaking, she put her hand over her closed eyes. Yami motioned his hand in front of her and saw no reaction from her. He smiled and rummaged through one of the bags until he picked up a box and placed it across from her. "Okay, open them."

Mana put her hand down and did just that, seeing Yami point downward to a long box that was sitting on top of her plate. She picked it up and opened it slowly, half-expecting confetti to fly out. When she did, a quick gasp escaped her throat at the contents inside. It was a gold necklace with a ruby center. "I... it's beautiful, but I can't accept this."

He raised a brow curiously and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why? It's just a gift, most people accept them."

"I can't. I'm not your girlfriend, or your real one for that matter. You probably paid quite a bit for this and... I just can't. Here." She handed it back to him and he pushed it back.

"Just think of it as a gift from a friend."

"A friend?" The suspicion in her voice raised, wondering what sort of angle he was working here. "If you want to be friends, then you are about a few months late. After what you put me through, I don't think so." She pushed it back to him and he just shoved it to her again.

Yami sighed and held it in front of her. "People can change. It's called a second chance and I know I don't deserve one but this is a peace offering. A-A friendship gift thing... whatever you want to call it." He pressed his lips together and she noticed how for the first time since ever she could read the emotion in his eyes. "When this day is over, I would like it if we could be friends. Acquaintances even, but... I would really appreciate it if you kept this necklace. I bought it for you, therefore it is for you."

Mana stared at the box and since she had agreed earlier to play along, she took the necklace out of the box and placed it around her neck. It was surprising to her how well it seemed to fit her, since it wasn't too loose or tight but just right. "How does it look then?"

"Perfect." They laughed and decided to look at their menus.

All was going well until Yami and Mana heard a familiar voice coming toward them. "Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here, _Pharaoh _and his Queen on a dinner date. Ain't that a sweet sight?"

"Bakura, what brings you here?" Yami spat back at him venomously.

He smirked and wrapped his arm around the two people that were with him. "Just taking my little brother and my bestest friend out for dinner. You know what, let's all eat together." He motioned a waitress to come over to seat them all again. "We're gonna need a bigger table." The waitress nodded and went off to find a table to seat five.

"Bakura, there's no way I'm eating with them two."

Yami stood up and held his ground. "For once, I'm with Marik. Ryou, I have nothing against you but I think I'd rather chew off my arm than have a less-than-pleasant dinner with your brother."

The taller white-haired teen held his hand over his heart and pretended to tear up. "Oh Yami, that breaks my heart. After all the years you and I have known each other, you say that to me. You see Ryou," he eyed his brother and smirked, "this is the way your friend treats your only brother. How horrible of a guy he is. Right Marik?" The blonde nodded and shared the same smirk as Bakura did.

Mana watched the whole affair and was in the same situation as Ryou; against the idea but forced to go along. The waitress came back to lead them to a bigger table which made the seating odd. In their round table Ryou sat between Bakura and Yami while Marik was next to Mana who was in the middle of the 'pair of psychos.' All of them acted civil while the waitress served them drinks and took their orders, but were at it again once their server left. "So Bakura, how's your day been so far?"

"Mana, don't talk to him."

"_Pharaoh_, I believe Skipper was talking to me. It's really rude to cut in, you know."

She raised a brow at him. "Skipper?" Mana grimaced at the nickname.

Marik snickered and explained before Bakura could. "Anzu's the original Barbie girl and you're the wannabe. Hence, you are Skipper." Both him and Bakura laughed while Mana growled angrily. "Oh, Skipper's got fangs. Does she do tricks too?"

"Probably when she's all alone with Pharaoh over here."

Ryou lowered his head in complete embarrassment at Bakura's and Marik's behavior. Yami looked at him apologetically and figured that Ryou had to deal with this sort of thing daily. "Tell me Bakura, do you always put your hair like that so it resembles bunny ears?"

"Bunny ears?"

"Yeah, you do that to attract Marik's attention but he's too busy showing off his bare midriff to make you jealous... right?" Yami smirked as he saw the humor in Bakura's eyes vanish and being replaced with pure hate.

Marik however, wasn't going to let that insult about the midriff go and had to get him back. "And I suppose Yugi copies you because it's fun to fuck a smaller version of yourself... right?" He replied in the same mocking tone as Yami. All three of them looked as though they were ready to pick up their knives and start stabbing each other with it.

"Um, you guys really should stop now." Ryou spoke up, nervous as can be when the tension became even thicker.

"Oh really, dear little brother? Give me one good reason why."

"Food's here." Mana pointed out and winked in Ryou's direction.

Each plate was set down and they all began to eat, though the tension was just as bad as before if not worse. "You know what, I'm not going to spend the rest of the meal arguing with Tomb Keeper and the Thief King. So... can we pretend to just dislike each other and put off killing each other until tomorrow?"

"... Tomb Keeper?" Marik frowned at the nickname he used to have, wondering why in the world did he ever agree to be called that.

Bakura chuckled lowly until it erupted into full on laughter which caught the attention of most of the restaurant. "Thief King! Oh my god! I haven't heard that in years!" He stood up and banged his fists on the table, causing a ruckus. "If you think calling us by our little pet names is gonna let bygones be bygones, then you got another thing coming!"

"Bakura, stop it." Ryou grabbed his brother's arm but was brushed aside and received a terrifying glare from Bakura. _Oh crap, he's angry now._

"Dislike you doesn't cut it! I fucking hate you for what you did to us!"

Yami stood up in his own defense, his voice matching the level of Bakura's. "That wasn't my fault!"

"Then it's your family's fault and I swore I'd get my revenge on you one way or another." His teeth were gritted and his fists were clenched, as though he was almost daring Yami to fight him.

"What are you waiting for then, Bakura Necrophades?" The tone in his voice showed no fear or anger, but almost a challenging charge behind it.

Before Bakura could start up again, Ryou grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "Bakura, I don't feel good. Can we just go home... now?" He stared at him with pleading eyes and Bakura couldn't resist his brother's request, not knowing if it was genuine or a lie to get out.

"Marik, come on. We gotta go." His voice was softer and the blonde narrowed his eyes at Yami as he stood up and walked out with Bakura and Ryou.

Mana exhaled in relief as soon as she was sure they were gone, no longer having to sit through the death stare of the century. "Well, now that they're gone we should probably just... Yami?" She stopped suddenly once her eyes caught a glimpse of the sadness in his as he stared at the exit. "Yami, are you okay?" Mana shook his arm and the sad stare was gone and he seemed to be back to normal.

The waitress came back with the check and Yami's eyes widened at the price. "150 dollars! For the whole thing?" He groaned loudly and took out a card to pay instead of the cash he had been using all day. Mana cracked a small smile at his surprised look and realized that he wasn't a spending robot after all.

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After the whole restaurant ordeal, they decided to walk through a nearby park. There weren't many kids there since it was later on in the day so soon they wounded up in a secluded area and were laying under a large tree, staring up at the clouds. "I see a turkey."

"Oh yeah, well that one right there looks like a snake."

Yami shuddered. "Don't even mention snakes. I hate them."

Mana smirked as she found a fear of Yami's and was ready to exploit it. "Really? Snakes? You know, graduation is coming up soon and I think I'll give you a pet as a gift."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Why not?"

"If you give me a snake, I'll probably end up throwing it at the closest person."

"Then I'll make sure Seto is right next to you when you get one."

Yami rolled his eyes and went back to watching the clouds. It was silent between them and their cloud gazing moments were all that was for them to stay and Mana was almost too eager to go home. The moment that Yami dropped her off at her apartment, she would be free. However, he was reluctant to take her back home. "Hey Mana, could I ask you something? It may be frivolous, but I want to know." Mana nodded and she saw him sit up, his back against the tree. "If Seto never took me to your club and I never found out you were a stripper, I imagine things would be very different between us. You would just be my caretaker and classmate. Um, if I asked you one day to go on a date with me... would you?" Mana gasped and sat up as well, taken back by his question. _Why would he ask that? I... he... _She had to think about that, especially since before the blackmail she didn't think much of him. In fact, Mana was one of the only girls in school who didn't want Yami.

"I-I... um, I..." _How would I answer?

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_

So sorry for not updating last week, I was stuck and didn't really know how to write this chapter since dates are foreign to me because my stupid ex-boyfriend never took me out on one. -sighs/pouts- Alright, this was their one and only date so stick around to see how Mana answers and what happens in the next few chapters! Review please!


	11. Cat's Outta The Bag

In the last chapter when they were watching the horror movie, I just have to say this. Asian horror films are actually REALLY scary! I once watched one in the middle of the afternoon and I screamed my head off. American horror films... -sighs- Well, they're too gory and just make you want to vomit. Here is where you see Mana's answer, the meaning of the chapter title and a bunch of other stuff that is actually pretty interesting. By the way, the interlude will make sense up to a certain point which I'll point out at the end. Okay, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! because I did not think of it. **(Warning: Some mature content ahead)

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Chapter Nine: Cat's Outta The Bag

"Um, well..."

_**Ashita Moshi Kimi Ga Kowaretomo**_

_**Koko Kara Nigedasanai**_

_**Tsukareta Karada Wo Iyasu**_

Mana sighed in relief as she rummaged through her purse and found her phone. _Whew! Saved by the ring! _She pressed the talk button and held it against her ear. "Hello?" Yami watched her on the phone and was slightly annoyed that they were interrupted by the pesky call. Suddenly, her features changed to a more confused and surprised look than the one she had earlier. "Wait, now? But I..." She sighed in defeat. "I understand." Mana pressed the end button and stood, trying to gather her things.

Yami stood up as well, not sure what was happening. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "I uh, need you to do me a really big favor."

"Name it."

Mana began to walk away and he followed her. "I need you to take me to my second job immediately. It's really important. Please Yami."

_What could be so important? _He nodded a 'yes' and they soon arrived back at Domino Square where his motorcycle was. "I'll take you there. Get on." Yami didn't ask exactly why she had to go there of all places, but figured it must be for a very good reason. After all, it probably won't take too long and when it was done with he would either take her home or just finish whatever was left of their date.

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Yami parked near the front entrance and took off his helmet, taking in the sight of the club in front of him. Already there were men entering, ready to waste away the money in their pockets for a moment of fleeting pleasure. "Thanks for dropping me off Yami." Mana handed him her helmet which he put down along with his own.

"How long you gonna be in there for? Just a few, right?" Mana turned and began to walk away from him and that was something that made him suspicious so he went after her. "Mana, I asked you a question and I expect you to answer it." Yami grabbed her wrist to prevent her from moving.

Mana struggled to free her wrist, but his grip held firm. "I'm not going with you. I have to be inside for a while. I... have to work."

"Today's your day off; you don't work here on Sundays." Yami regretted saying that instantly as a strange look clouded her eyes.

"How... how do you know that? I've never ever told you my work schedule here. Yami..." He released her wrist and took a few steps back as she took a few forward. "Tell me how you know that!"

"I-"

"NOW!"

"... I've been watching you... in there." The words were soft and he never thought he would have to admit this.

"Watching me? For how long exactly?" Her voice level rose as she took a couple of steps forward causing him to move back.

There was no point in beating around the bush especially since it would do him no good at this point in time. "Since after my birthday."

The realization dawned on Mana what that all meant. After Yami blackmailed her, he came back there every night till her memorized her work days to watch her perform. Not once did she ever see him, but he watched her... over and over again. "You sick pervert!" She slapped him hard across the face, the sting nearly burning his flesh.

"It's not what you think; I was only trying to make sure you were safe."

"Safe? Compared to you, the Yakuza seems like a safe haven. Just get out of here!" Mana pushed him and walked away.

Unfortunately for her, he was as stubborn as they came. He ran after her and put himself in front of her. "Tell me why you have to be in there."

"That's none of your business!"

She tried to move but he put himself in her way again. "You can't go in there. The day isn't over yet and I'm not letting you go."

Mana scoffed and stood tall, staring him right in the eye and not backing down. "Newsflash, our date is over. Know what that means?" Yami didn't try to answer since he already knew what it was. "This means the contract is terminated so I am no longer your girlfriend. I'm just your classmate." She maneuvered in front of him, but he grabbed her arm.

"You work for me and I'm giving you an order to not go in there!" The softness in his voice was immediately replaced with a strict tone, like he was willing to do anything for her to go with him.

However, Mana was more than ready with a comeback. "I work as your caretaker, meaning I'm your babysitter which makes me the boss of you! I don't have to listen to a damn word you say since I didn't work today. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't go in there and do my job." Yami opened his mouth and immediately closed it. He had no particular reason but to make sure she was safe. In fact, the only reason he went back to that club was to make sure Mana was safe going in and out and to see if the men who were eyeing her did nothing.

Yami knew his paranoia wouldn't suffice as an excuse, and he softened his hold on her arm. "Fine, go in then." Mana walked as fast she could inside and Yami gave it a few minutes before he ran in after her. There was no way he was going to risk her safety just because she was mad at him again. Hell, even if he was out for half the night it would be worth getting grounded. Though as he tried to go through the entrance, security immediately stopped him. "Hey, what the hell? Let me through!" Yami yelled and the guards examined him carefully.

"This the guy?"

"Fits the description."

"Alright then." One guard picked Yami up and tossed him aside to the asphalt, his back making a painful landing. "We don't let stalkers in." They laughed and went back inside while Yami stood up slowly, making sure he didn't bruise anywhere.

_Mana... she told them I was a stalker? _There was the option of staying and waiting in the parking lot for her to come out, but she would probably take the back entrance. Even if he waited over there, the guards were keeping an eye on him since Mana must've given them his description in the few minutes that she was in. _... she just wants me out of here... and out of her life..._

Inside the club, Mana was laughing and happily too since the feeling of liberation was coursing through her veins. _Finally! No more blackmail, no more hugging, holding hands, kissing... no more couple stuff! I'm free of that idiot! _She silently hoped that security wasn't hard on him, since she didn't want him injured but knew if she didn't do something quick he would follow her in and hide somewhere, watching her. Mana grabbed her uniform, remembering her reason for coming here. Her boss called, saying a guy had arrived offering five hundred dollars for a dance from the Dark Magician Girl and would take no other. Mana didn't have a choice but to come and perform on stage and do the private dance as well.

She left her dressing room and went backstage to get ready for her routine. In another two weeks, graduation would come and so would the end to this job. Never again would she have to dance on that horrifying stage for perverted men once she used her inheritance money to go off to college and not have to worry about half the things that plague her mind.

But until then... dancing it is.

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When Mana had went in, the sun was setting but now as she exited through the side entrance which led to an alley it was already dark. If she crossed down the alley, it would only be a two block walk away from her building. Mana began walking down the alley and stared at the necklace that was lying on her palm. Yami gave it to her, claiming it was a friendship gift and what he hoped for in return was a second chance. The choice was very clear in her mind, he didn't deserve one. _If he thinks a few nice words and a gift is going to smooth things over with me, then he's got another thing coming._ She put the trinket into her bag and froze when she saw a guy standing near the end of the alley. The guy was walking toward her and Mana recognized him instantly. He was the reason why she was forced to come here and she wondered what he was still doing there. "You know, you look really different without the blonde hair and outfit. Almost didn't recognize you."

"Get out of my way." Mana said firmly, getting a slight idea of what the guy was getting at and already looking around for something to hit the guy with.

"Oh wow, kitty's got claws." He moved closer and placed his hand against the wall, putting himself in front of her. "I've got a proposition for you."

"Get out of my way now!" She yelled a little louder.

However, the guy only chuckled. "How about you give me a bit more than a dance and I'll pay you whatever you want? Reasonable, huh?" He paused a bit and looked over her entirely. "Instead of different, you look a lot younger with brown hair. It's kinda sexy." Mana knew exactly what the guy wanted now and was going to waste no time in getting out of there. She raised her foot up and kicked the guy in his most sensitive area. He groaned loudly and crouched down in pain, and Mana began to run down the alley. _I go down this alley almost every night and only now does something like this happen? Crap, I should've taken the front! _Suddenly, she was pushed against the wall and she yelped loudly. "That wasn't very nice, bitch."

"Let me go!" Mana struggled and was stopped as the man's fist made contact with her stomach. She clutched it in pain, tears already welling up in her eyes.

"That was for kicking me!" He grabbed her and pushed her to the ground and immediately was on top of her. "I was gonna pay you, but I'll just take what I want."

Mana wasn't going down without a fight though, so she kicked and struggled as hard as she could since the man pinned down her hands. They were near the end of the alley and she could vaguely hear people. "HELP ME!! HELP!" The moment Mana screamed for help, the man slapped her hard across the face. She bit her lip in pain and punched him when one of her hands was free since the man had started ripping her clothing. "STOP IT! HELP ME! SOMEBODY!"

"Shut up, you slut!" The man slapped her other cheek, the pain staying there a little while longer than the other slap. The tears were already falling down her face as no one came and the shadows of the people she saw were moving away. "No one's coming bitch." His voice was low and she smelled the alcohol on his breath. The stench of beer was sickening and she punched him in the eye and stood to run away, but he grabbed her by the foot.

Mana fell again and was dragged back, her clothing being torn again. She was so close to the end of the alley, another ten feet and she would be home-free. Her shirt was destroyed and she felt the guy unhook her bra and Mana kicked again which earned her a punch across her already bruised cheek. Maybe if she screamed again, someone would come and help her... save her. "... ATEMU, HELP ME!!!" Mana screamed as loud as she could and froze when she saw the guy pull out a knife and held it to her throat.

"Scream one more time and I'll cut your throat." He moved the knife down and ripped her skirt, his hands roaming her body and his mouth was on her neck. Mana was crying as her vision blurred and was slowly losing her consciousness. _Help me... Atemu... please_.

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Yami paced back and forth in the parking lot over and over again, biting his lower lip and kept looking back at the entrance. It was getting late and he couldn't but become worried. She was taking too long in there and even though Mana and the guards both told him to leave, he just stayed in parking lot and refused to leave until he saw her leave the club. However, Mana had been in there for a while and all kinds of sick thoughts clouded his mind at what she was doing. He remembered when he followed her in the first night and had to stop himself several times from hurting some of the guys were cheering for her and demanding she take off all her clothes. It was sickening and if he felt that bad, then he could imagine how she felt. "Damn it! If she's not out in-"

He stopped as he heard faint screaming. _What was that? _He stared at the direction where the scream came from and moved slowly toward it until he heard another scream which made him sprint. "_**Atemu, help me!**_" The voice that screamed his name, his _real _name... only one person would do so and she was in trouble... wherever she was. _Damn it! I should've tried harder to get in! If something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself! _Yami stepped in front of the alley where he believed the scream originated from and saw a sight that made his blood boil with sheer anger. Mana was on the ground, unmoving and the man above her was unbuckling his pants. His eyes narrowed and he ran full speed ahead and pushed the man off of Mana, knocking them both to the ground.

Yami panted and touched his cheek and felt the warm liquid on his fingers. _Blood?_ His cheek was cut but he ignored it. He bent down to Mana and saw she was unconscious and not only that... her shirt was destroyed and her skirt was as well. Her breasts were exposed but her underwear was still intact. Yami took off his jacket and covered her with it, gently stroking her bruised cheek. _I'm so sorry Mana... I should've tried harder to not let you go. _Yami moved swiftly and swung his arm up when he heard the man moving toward him. He yelled loudly as he felt the blade, which he just realized the guy had, stab his upper arm. Yami kicked the guy in the gut and punched him, causing the dirtbag to fall.

The blade was in his arm and he took it out, the blood already going down his arm and dripping. The pain was so much to bear but he knew a way to deal with it. He gripped the blade tightly and slowly made his way to the guy who was crawling away. "Hey, wait a sec. If you want the girl, you can have her. Just cool it, okay?" The man was now terrified of the boy who had just shown up. With the blood dripping down his face and arm, the knife in his other hand and those crimson eyes of his which screamed murder... Yami was terrifying.

"You dared to hurt my Mana and so in return, I shall hurt you. And I will show you the same courtesy you have shown me..."

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_**Wake... please! Mana... be okay. Wake...**_The words were echoing in her mind and she couldn't get a clear statement of the voice was saying or what it wanted. _**Don't... please, be alright. Mana, I... you. **_The voice was warm and inviting, she wanted to be closer to it. Her eyes lazily opened and she rubbed her eyes until it was no longer blurry. Mana scanned her surroundings very carefully and found she was in her bedroom, lying on her mattress with a blanket over her. _How did I get here?_ The last thing she remembered was leaving the strip club and... it got a little fuzzy afterwards. Mana pushed the blanket away but then grabbed it again, wrapping it around her. _Why am I in my pajamas?! _She looked at the floor and saw her tattered clothes. As she was putting two and two together, a very familiar person entered the room. "Mana... you're awake!"

"Huh?" Mana was confused enough and Yami sat down beside her and pressed his forehead against hers. She pushed him away quickly and saw he wasn't wearing a shirt. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you're alright. You didn't wake up for a while and I was getting worried."

She put her hand on her palm and winced immediately as she felt the bruise and wondered instantly how that happened. "... that bruise..." Her eyes widened as she remembered what happened, the tears welling up in her eyes. "He... he..." The words seemed to be stuck in her throat as the memory replayed in her mind over and over again.

"Mana..." he began hesitantly, not knowing if he should say anything. "He won't bother you again, I made sure of that." Yami reached his hand out and pressed the ice pack against her cheek.

For once, Mana didn't try to stop Yami since he was only trying to help. Though another thought crossed her mind about him. "How are you here? I told you to leave and I even got security after you."

Yami chuckled and put the ice pack down, wrapping it around a towel and pressed it against her cheek again. "What can I say besides I'm stubborn? I..." He blushed as the words flew out of his mouth. "I didn't wanna leave till I knew... you were safe."

Mana blushed as well and pressed her hand against the ice pack, moving his away. "Thank you Yami, I..." She stopped herself, not knowing if she should say anything further and wanted to change the subject. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt? I remember you having one before."

"It's in your dryer."

"Why?"

A weak smile was shown on his face. "I already have to explain why its 2 am and my butt's not home. I wanna at least try to cover up the blood."

_Blood? _She saw the band-aid on his cheek and the cloth around his upper arm. _How did he...? _It dawned on her that the man in the alley had a knife and that's how her clothes got torn. "Yami, I-"

"Don't. Just don't apologize."

"One last question though." Yami nodded and let her continue. "Did you dress me?"

His silence was enough of an answer as he stood up. "You can scream at me about that later, but I should probably get going."

The moment he turned to leave, something grabbed his hand and was forcing him to stay. "Don't go Atemu."

He gripped her hand and softened his voice to make it seem like a whisper. "My name Mana, it's-"

"I DON'T CARE!" She bellowed and pulled on his hand with both of hers. "Whether it's Atemu Montu or Yami Namonaki that stays, I don't care. I just want **you **to stay." Yami turned to face her, his eyes widening at what she said. _Just... me? _He sat beside her again and moved aside a stray strand of hair from her face, noticing how her eyes shined making her look so beautiful. "Will you stay?"

Yami raised his hand up and stroked her unbruised cheek, Mana now leaning against it. "I'll stay even if you push me away." The pain in her eyes erupted into tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried on him, trying to let out the anguish she was feeling. Yami didn't try to stop her, but ran his fingers through her hair seeing her calm down. Neither knew how long they remained in that position or how long it took for her to let it all out or how long Yami held her. After a while, her sobs slowed to a stop with a few hiccups coming out of her mouth. Mana lifted her head and locked eyes with Yami, seeing for the first time how captivating his blood red eyes actually were.

Yami leaned in a little and held his hand at her waist, the other one still buried in her hair. The little voice inside his head was telling him to stop, to just let her go and leave. To not do what his heart so desperately wanted. _Don't... don't! _Yami ignored it and pressed his lips against her, relishing in how soft her lips were. The kiss ended as soon as it began but now that he had that, he wanted more. He kissed her again and she wasn't rejecting him but rather accepting as she pulled him closer and kissed him back. Mana broke the kiss and their breathing got heavier as he held her tighter, her body now against his. "Mana..." They kissed again and fell back against the bedding, deepening the kiss as he opened his mouth; his tongue trying to part her lips.

Mana gasped at the sudden touch and he darted inside her mouth, moaning slightly at the deepness and sweetness of the kiss. She moved her hands away from his neck to around his shoulders, holding him closer as she returned the same amount of passion that he was giving in the kiss. Yami ended the kiss for air, feeling like his heart nearly exploding out of his chest. She was panting too, not used to such a deep kiss like that. He was about to stop until he saw little red marks all over her neck. Deep-seeded rage ran through him once he figured out what they were. Without thinking, Yami kissed her neck, sucking and nipping over each of the marks and replaced them with his own.

"Yami..." Mana moaned his name and held onto him tighter, feeling something burst inside her chest. Earlier when that guy was doing the same thing, she wanted him to stop so badly and now... now her heart was warming at the very thought of Yami doing this. Yami lifted his neck and realized what he had just done. _I'm no better... than that pervert. I have to stop, I... _He felt something loosen around his neck and it was his choker.

"Don't-" Before he could fix it, she pushed him over so he was now beneath her and immediately her lips were on his neck. Yami's body was reacting almost instantly as certain parts of her body were touching his. Mana stopped and straddled his hips, beginning to unbutton her pajama top. Yami grabbed her hand, stopping her from going further. "What are you doing?"

With a blank look in her eyes and a low voice, she replied to him. "This is what you want, right? My body, of course. You must have been fantasizing quite a lot when you were dressing me. Well, you can have me and you don't even have to pay me. After all... it's only my first time." Mana leaned in to kiss him again, but he gripped her shoulders and pushed her back on the mattress now.

Yami stared at her, bewildered by what she said. He released her and got off the bed and left the room, leaving her alone. Mana stared down at the bedding, missing the warmth that Yami was giving her. _I had to stop him somehow. _Mana kept telling herself, trying to rationalize her reason. _If I didn't, who knows how far we would have gone? Even if his lips were soft and inviting and- _She shook her head and grabbed her pillow, hugging it very tightly. _He was just caught up in the moment and he doesn't feel the same about me. Yami just can't. I had to push him away... even if it did hurt me._

Meanwhile, Yami was in the bathroom and splashing cold water in his face. _I shouldn't have done that, she was just attacked and... _He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his flesh and his knuckles nearly turning white. The medicine cabinet was slightly open and something inside caught his eye. He picked up a bottle that said **Sleep-Aid **and figured they were sleeping pills. _Well, with her life I wouldn't blame her._ He shook it and found it was practically full. Yami took one out and came up with an idea.

Now Mana stared at the wall, not wanting to close her eyes since every time she did... the events of earlier came back. There was no way she'd be able to get through the night without waking up in a cold sweat and without her sleep; she wouldn't be able to function at school. _Damn it, it's only for two more weeks._

She gasped as she heard Yami come back, holding a glass of water and finally wearing a shirt. "Here, drink this." His voice was as cold as the ice water in the cup. Mana took it and gulped it all down, not realizing how thirsty she really was. Before she knew it, she fell back against the bed and fell asleep instantly. Yami smirked as he picked her up into his arms, hissing at the added weight to his injured arm. "Fast acting, eh? Great, here we go again."

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Mahado was sitting on a chair near the door, reading a book and eyeing the clock every chance he could. It was 2:45 and Atemu was still not here. Everyone else had gone home but he stayed since the Master requested it and he too wanted to have it out with the boy. _I'll be back around ten. HA! Note to self, never trust rich teens with crazy hair. _Suddenly, he heard the garage door opening and he ran to the back of the house and saw Atemu entering with Mana in his arms. "Atemu, where the hell have you been?"

"Since when are you so informal with me?" Atemu joked and walked a little further, trying to ignore the pain.

"My shift is over, you twit. And what is Mana doing here? In her pajamas? And... unconscious?" Mahado almost didn't want to know what had happened, but if it involved these two it could have been anything.

"Can you take her first?" Mahado lifted Mana from Atemu's arms and into his own. "She was attacked and I saved her and I took her back to her apartment. I couldn't leave her alone in there, so I gave her half a sleeping pill. She should be waking up soon."

Mahado stared at him and back at Mana. _Attacked? _He saw the bruise on her cheek and the kiss marks. "Let's put her in your room, she'll be comfortable there." Their walk up the stairs was absolutely silent since neither wanted to wake up the dad and because they wanted to make sure Mana was okay. Mahado placed her gently onto the bed, covering her with a blanket. "What happened? I mean, it was only a date..." Atemu didn't answer him and turned, but something about Atemu was different. Mahado grabbed the boy and pushed him against the wall, undoing his neck belt.

"What the hell?!"

Mahado narrowed his eyes as he saw the incriminating evidence on the teen's neck. "Attacked you say? Then why do you have a kiss mark that wasn't there this morning?"

Atemu snatched his choker back and lowered his head in shame. "I'm not proud of what happened between us, but I didn't hurt her. I..." The words were caught in his throat and the physical plus emotional pain from earlier prevented him from going further.

Mahado understood and moved away from Atemu, his gaze on Mana now. "I'm just glad you two are safe and she can stay here tomorrow as well. Just go to bed... away from this room." The boy left and Mahado continued to stare at the sleeping girl, trying to figure out all that he was told. _If she was attacked, why does he have a kiss mark as well? And if they were together, where would she have gotten...? _He shook his head and headed toward the door, determined to find out tomorrow. In the meantime though, he would get back home and sleep.

A few minutes past before Mana began to stir from her sleep. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, seeing she was in Atemu's room. _Wasn't I just at my place though? _The door opened and she saw Atemu enter. "I'm not sleeping here, I just want a pillow." Mana grabbed one and threw it at him none too softly.

"What am I doing here?"

"I don't consider that place you call an apartment safe, so I brought you here." He threw the pillow back to the bed and walked toward Mana, grabbing the dark gold one at her side. "This is my pillow."

"Picky, aren't you?"

Atemu rolled his eyes and ignored what she said, deciding it was too late to argue with her. As he turned around to leave, a thought came across him and this was something he couldn't ignore. "You never answered my question Mana."

Her eyes widened as she realized what the question was. Earlier, she was willing to stall but she knew that trick wouldn't work here. And because of before, the answer was clear to her. "... I wouldn't." His eyes softened and picked up a sad tone, but his back was turned to her so she wouldn't see. "I just couldn't. I mean, if you never blackmailed me then I would still have the same thoughts of you. I would still think you are this unapproachable person who goes through great lengths to hide who he really is. You're just too guarded."

He turned around and crossed his arms over the pillow. "I am not guarded." Atemu was straining to contain his voice since he didn't want his dad to hear him and Mana talking.

She raised a brow. "Oh no? Well, excuse me Yami. Or is it Atemu? I wonder if the name has anything to do with your pill-popping. Or maybe it's Bakura's hate that makes you do that or do you just want to make your dad proud?"

Atemu growled lowly and threw the pillow on the floor and sat down on his bed, putting himself in front of her. "There is a reason for those things." Mana scoffed and Atemu narrowed his eyes as he reached for his choker and undid it. Mana wondered what he was doing until he tilted his head to the side, revealing a scar on the side of his neck. "I'll tell you the reason. This scar was caused by a 6-inch blade and the culprit was yours truly. I was seven."

"You tried to... kill yourself-"

He stopped her. "I did not!" He sighed and touched it slowly with his fingertips, remembering the incident. "I was watching the thing on near-death experiences and some guy was saying that he saw his dead loved ones before he was brought back. Stupid me, I thought I could see my mom." Atemu paused a bit and gazed at the picture by his nightstand. "It didn't work and the whole experience worsened my night terrors which is why I take those pills. So I don't dream and think of something like that again." He put the choker back on since he hated having the scar exposed.

That explained only one of her questions but he was ready to continue again. "I um... wanted to see her again so I could apologize. You see, it's... my fault she's dead."

"It couldn't have been-"

"It was! First day of pre-school, I wanted her to pick me up after school so we could get ice cream. I whined until she caved in, but on her way there..." His voice began cracking and he lowered his head, his long blonde bangs masking his eyes. "A drunk driver hit her and she died. A couple of days later, I heard my dad telling my uncle that it was my fault and he could hardly look at me. Just imagine how traumatizing that is for a four year old." A loose chuckle came out of his mouth and he closed his eyes to stop the incoming tears.

"That... that's not your fault though. Your father was just grieving; he didn't mean it Atemu..."

"... That's the same thing Seto told me. And my name technically is Yami Namonaki." He lifted his head up and she saw the water in his eyes, threatening to fall any minute. "See, um... my middle name is Yami and my mother's last name is Namonaki. She's the only one that ever called me Yami and... I made my dad put my name as Yami Namonaki when he enrolled me in school just so I could hear someone saying that name again. Silly reason, isn't it?" Mana just stared, not even knowing how to respond to his story. She always thought his name change was for a superficial reason but the truth was actually much sadder. _He's... a really sensitive person. _"Wait, I haven't answered all your questions yet."

"Atemu, it's-"

"No, no, no. You are going to listen to it all. There's only one story left. Bakura and I... where do I even begin? Well, for one thing we used to be friends."

"Really?"

Atemu nodded. "Shocking, isn't it? Um, our fathers were business partners until my dad accused his dad of committing fraud. He was fired and lost his reputation. A month into the investigation, he killed himself and Bakura blames me for that. Ryou doesn't, but his brother's brainwashing him every day so who knows? Maybe tomorrow, another good friend of mine will want my head on a spike."

Mana moved closer to him and brushed his bangs aside, seeing the first tear fall down his face. She wiped it away and gave a weak smile. _Dead mother, a not-so-attempted suicide and being blamed for the death of his friend's father. Mahado was right, Atemu has been through enough._

She picked up his pillow and laid it down at her side, confusing him with her actions. "This is your room and it's not right to kick you out. Though you sleep on that end, and I'll stay here. Deal?" Atemu gave her a slight nod and laid his head on the pillow, but not before grabbing his pills and dry swallowing one. Mana stared at the ceiling, the events of earlier leaving her mind. _I understand now... why he wants to make his dad proud._ He never said it in words, but the concept was still there. _Atemu Yami Montu... that's his real name. Don't know why he wasted his time with me though..._

() () () () () () () () ()

"You're kidding me!"

"No, I'm not. He was out till nearly 3 in the morning and he came back with her." Mahado and Isis were heading to Atemu's bedroom since they had checked all the others and he wasn't in any of them. "I told him not to go in there and he goes anyway!"

"Mahado, I'm sure he did nothing to Mana." Isis reassured him.

Mahado didn't reply back as he turned the doorknob to Atemu's room and both he and Isis stopped in their tracks at what they saw. Atemu was fully dressed in his uniform and left a black rose and a note by her bedside. He leaned down and kissed Mana's cheek and she barely made a movement since she was still sleeping. He turned and left his room, passing Mahado and Isis. "My father wants to speak with me, right?"

"Uh, yes actually. He's in his room." Atemu nodded and went off to his father's room. He couldn't tell whether yesterday was a good day or not. In the afternoon, he and Mana had fun and weren't arguing but treating each civilly. Then the night was long and horrifying, filled with painful memories and events. _It's over between us anyway. Then again, there was nothing between us to begin with... I knew that already. _The door to his father's room was open and he entered, closing the door behind him.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Atemu spoke lowly and tried to appear like statue, but was failing miserably.

"I don't know where to begin." Akunamkanon put on a tie and fixed it, still managing to lecture his son. "Why would you stay out that long? And not even call? Do you have any idea how you worries us?!" Atemu did not answer and lowered his head, taking in his father's complaints. "I don't understand you at all. Do you even know the danger you put yourself in? Your behavior was completely irresponsible and there will be consequences young man."

Atemu sighed and looked down at his watch. "Whatever, I have to go to school."

He turned to leave but his father grabbed him by the arm. "Not so fast, I'm not done yet."

"OW! Lemme go! Lemme go! LEMME GO! That hurts!!" Atemu yelled rather loudly and his father released his arm, surprised at his son's reaction. Atemu clutched to his arm in pain, already feeling the blood seep out of the wound and staining his clothes.

"Atemu, what's wrong? Why are you in pain?"

"I-It's nothing. I have to go now." Akunamkanon knew something was wrong with him. For one, Atemu never under any circumstances lowered his voice and bowed his head to him while he lectured him. Before Atemu could get out the door, he slammed it shut and gave his son an intimidating stare. "Take off your shirt."

Atemu laughed. "No way. Are you crazy? I'm gonna be late if I don't-"

"Atemu Yami Montu, take your shirt off this instant!" The father replied in a stern voice and Atemu knew that once his father used his full name, he meant business. Atemu took off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, letting them both fall to the ground. He didn't move a muscle as he heard his father gasp at the gash on his arm, seeing the blood staining more through the cloth around it. "You are going to explain that to me on the way to the hospital." He grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled him out of the room. "Come on, let's go."

"Oh god no! Dad, it's not serious!" Atemu struggled to not move and instead of being dragged, his father lifted him over his shoulders and walked down the stairs like that. "Put me down! Put me down now!"

"Be quiet Atemu!"

Mahado and Isis watched as both of them walk out of the house, wondering what happened in the few short minutes that they talked.

() () () () () () () () ()

Yami came to school at last, his upper arm sporting a bandage that was on too tight in his opinion. He figured it was lunch time as he entered the classroom and saw no one there. However, there were a couple of hundred flyers all over the floor of the room. He turned and saw the same flyers on the hallway.

He picked one up, his eyes widened as he examined the contents of it. It was a school picture of Mana and next to it was a picture of her in her stripper outfit. "Yami!" The voice neared him and grabbed him, seeing that it was Yugi. "I've been looking for you everywhere! Is this true? I mean seriously?"

"I... I..."

"How could you not tell me this? Is it true? Answer me Yami!" Yugi yelled, his eyes pleading for an answer from his friend. The silence between them was deafening and it didn't give the smaller teen a definite answer.

_How...? I never told anyone. This... this can't be happening!

* * *

_

AH! This was exhausting to write and I'm kinda in a bad mood right now because I got my AP scores back. So I'll be brief with this. Long chapter, a lot of stuff going on and one cliffhanger that all of you are probably gonna kill me for. By the way, the interlude ended when Mana said '_even if it did hurt me_.' So tell me your thoughts. Review please!


	12. Confessions

The truth shall be revealed here! Who sent out those flyers, how Mana takes it and one shocking confession that most people here probably saw coming. Now, don't let me keep you from going on and reading. Remember, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! in any way, shape or form. All rights belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Confessions

Yugi shook Yami's arm harder, but it did nothing to change the look on his face. "Yami... did you know?" Yami gripped the flyer tighter and ground his teeth together. "... Yami..."

"Yami!" Yugi turned and saw it was Seto who was coming toward them. "You have got to be kidding me! This was the same girl that gave you that dance and that was Mana? Please tell me this is a sick joke!"

"Who put this out?" Yami whispered lowly. Seto and Yugi stayed silent and glanced at one another. "Who put it out?" He asked again, a little louder this time.

Seto put his hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Listen, you should probably-"

Yami pushed Seto's hand away and grabbed Yugi, pushing him against the wall. "I asked who put it out! Answer me Yugi!" The expression on his face screamed murder and Yugi knew it was doing neither of them any good to keep quiet.

"We're not really sure, I mean... they were bragging about it but they never actually admitted to doing anything." Yugi said weakly as Yami gripped his shoulders tighter.

"I. Don't. Care. Tell me who now!"

The answer came from Seto. "Bakura and Marik. At least that's what we think. They were the first ones here so it's possible."

Yami's eyes widened at the names. Bakura and Marik... it was only the other day that he saw them and pissed them off. _How was it that they found out? Better question... how long have they known? _He released Yugi's shoulders and backed up a bit, clenching his hands into fists. Yami gritted his teeth, small growls escaping his mouth. _I'll... I'll... _"I'LL KILL THEM!" Yami sprinted off to the direction of the cafeteria as fast as he could and Seto and Yugi ran after him, hoping to stop him from doing anything drastic. He barged right into the cafeteria, panting heavily. "Bakura! Marik! Where are you bastards?!"

Everyone's eyes fell upon the teen whose blood eyes appeared murderous instead of mysterious as they usually did. Bakura and Marik sat in the back, watching Yami scan the large room. "Hey Marik, I do believe our friend is here."

"Yup." Marik smirked and pushed his food around. "And he looks pretty pissed too."

Bakura smirked as well; his grin looked more wicked than Marik's. Before he made a move, he scanned the cafeteria and saw no teachers around. He laughed loudly and stood atop of the table. "Yo Pharaoh, missed you in class earlier! What happened? Did your little bunny keep you busy in bed all night?"

"**Bakura...**"

"Or maybe you were watching her do other guys and lost track of time."

"I'll kill you!" Yami ran across the cafeteria and toward Bakura who jumped off the table and stood with his arms out.

"Gimme your best shot Yami!" They collided and fell to the ground with Yami on top, already punching him. Bakura kicked him and he fell forward with his back on the tile. The crowd of people surrounded them and chose sides, blocking other people from getting through. Bakura stood over Yami and stepped on the bandaged arm, applying more pressure as Yami screamed in pain. "Where's your spark huh?" He put his other foot on Yami's chest, stepping on it and watching his breathing become heavier. "I thought you were gonna kill me Pharaoh. All this just for your slut-of-a-girlfriend." Bakura suddenly fell backwards and realized Yami pulled on his ankle. Both stood up quickly, not bothering to waste more time and punched each other anywhere they could.

Seto finally made his way through the crowd and grabbed Yami, holding his arms back. Before Bakura could take advantage of the situation, both Marik and Ryou held him back as well. "Let me go Kaiba! This pack of shit doesn't deserve to live!"

"I'm shit?! Look who's talking! How the hell did Mana go from ignoring you to dating you in one day? There was no way she did that willingly."

Yami continued to struggle against Seto and almost got loose until Jounouchi came and held him back. Everyone else had come, wondering what the commotion was. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You ruined her life!"

Marik pulled harder onto Bakura's arm, practically digging his fingers into his friend's arm and Ryou seemed to be having the same difficulty. "She sealed her fate the moment she hooked up with you! We're even now _Pharaoh_!"

Yugi stepped in between them. "Both of you, stop it before the teachers get wind of this."

"Too late!" A teacher yelled as more made their way throughout the crowd. Now it was the principal who was there and he grabbed both Yami and Bakura. "You two are coming with me. Kaiba, Mutou, Ishtar and Necrophades, you all come as well." They made their way out of the cafeteria and through the hallways in silence, giving each other glares that could challenge a blizzard. A couple of minutes past before they reached his office and the principal sat in his chair and the six boys were in front of his desk. "Now, I want to know the meaning of these flyers and your fight as well. Bakura, you may begin."

He straightened up his uniform and tattered hair, ignoring the bruises that were probably forming on his face. "I found a picture of a stripper, saw that it looked too much like Mana to not be her and posted flyers around to piss off Yami."

"That's not what happened and you know it!"

The principal eyed Marik because of his outburst. "Care to explain?"

Marik nodded and bit his lip, knowing the kind of trouble he was about to get into but wasn't about to let Bakura take all the blame. "I found the picture out of boredom and made the joke about it looking like Mana." He swiped a glance at Yami who seemed to have a distorted look on his face. "We called an old friend of Bakura's whose a PI and he found out that it was her. I thought we could use the pictures to blackmail Yami for money-"

"Shut up Marik! He had nothing to do with it, I made the copies and put them all over the school." Bakura answered quickly and put Marik behind him. Ryou stared at them both, knowing what they said was true since Bakura kept him up half the night with the plot. He didn't take him seriously since he had plans like those all the time but never did anything about it. _This is my fault, damn it!_

The older man stared at the picture and raised a brow. "So this is true." Bakura and Marik both nodded at once, guessing what the outcome was.

"No, it's not!"

"And how do you know, Yami?"

He put his arms down at his side, trying to appear convincing and emotionless... like he would when his father lectured him. "While it may be true that the girl in the picture looks like Mana, it is a mere coincidence."

"Oh, bull-"

Yami cut off Bakura. "Take Yugi and I for example. He looks like a younger me, does that mean he's me? No, of course not. We're not even related. So unless Mana says it herself that it's her, you have absolutely no proof."

He set the flyer aside and sighed, rubbing his temples as the headache began. "And your fight? Who started it?"

"Yami did." Bakura answered quickly to see how the punishment would turn out.

"Alright. I should prevent you all from getting your diploma but since it is almost the end of the term I'll be lenient. Marik Ishtar, you'll be sent home for today and spend your lunch every day this week helping the janitor for the pictures." Marik growled but decided this was the best that he was going to get. "Seto Kaiba, Yugi Mutou, and Ryou Necrophades shall all be sent home for today for assisting a fight. But I expect you all including Marik in school tomorrow." They bowed and waited for punishment for the last two. "Bakura Necrophades, you shall receive a three day suspension for fighting and spreading these flyers. Yami Namonaki, you shall also be suspended for three days. I'll be calling all your parents to inform them." They all nodded and were about to leave till he spoke again. "Yami, wait a moment."

All the others left while Yami stayed and closed the door behind him. "What is it sir?"

"Mana Kurosaki is not here today, correct?" Yami nodded, wondering where this was going. "Tell her to be here tomorrow morning at the start of homeroom."

Yami bowed. "Yes sir, I shall." He turned and left through the door, waiting the main office with everyone else till their parents came.

() () () () () () () () ()

Mana lazily opened her eyes, the bright sun nearly blinding her. She yawned loudly as she sat up and stretched out her arms. _Wha... what time is it? _She grabbed the clock on the nightstand and rubbed her eyes hazily. "Oh, okay. It's only... 11:56!!" Mana set the clock down and frantically looked around. "Damn it! I gotta get to school, oh my god! I am so late! I need my phone! Where's..." Her nervousness stopped as she saw the black flower and the note beside it. Hesitantly, she picked up the note the note and unfolded it. She figured out immediately that it was from Atemu and that it wasn't a simple note but a letter for her.

_I know that lately, the circumstances between us hasn't been the best. And for that, I am truly sorry. In fact, I'll start from the beginning. I'm sorry for blackmailing you, it was idiotic and selfish and whatever horrible word that comes to mind as well. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, I do not deserve it. But these past couple of months, besides the arguments and hateful words that were exchanged between us... were enjoyable and I honestly don't regret the time we're spent together. You were my first girlfriend, fake or otherwise. For going out with me, I release you from the contract meaning I can't do anything to you. I know you've been suffering because you didn't want to be anywhere near me and for that I apologize again. And I know that you think I wasted my time with you instead of looking for a girl that actually liked me, but it wasn't a waste at all. In fact, there's something I need to get off my chest and it's something that can't be written out. I really want to tell you this in person and I would appreciate it if you listen to me. For the record Mana, it was never my intention to hurt you._

_Sincerely,  
Atemu Yami Montu_

_PS: You look really cute when you sleep._

Mana put the letter down and sighed, blushing slightly at the last part. _Well, he's right about one thing. I'll never forgive him for what he's done. I wonder what he wants to tell me. _She eyed the rose carefully and picked it up, realizing it wasn't totally black just a really dark red. It only appeared black but there was the question of why he gave her a black rose. _I'm surprised Isis hasn't scolded him for all the roses he cut from the garden. _She was thrown from her thoughts as Mahado came through the door, holding a tray of food. "Good afternoon Mana, glad to see you are finally up."

"Afternoon Mahado, um... I don't mean to be rude or anything but I have to go to school. So I don't really have time to eat."

Mahado shook his head and put the tray on the nightstand and sat down beside her. "Don't worry about school, I called for you. Atemu told me what happened last night so I figured you could use a break." Mana nodded and took some of the food off the tray since she was rather hungry. He chuckled when she grabbed the food, she was hungry after all. "So... did you tell him you real feelings for him?"

She gulped nervously and fiddled with the sheets. "Um, actually I... about that, well you see um..."

"You didn't, huh?" Mana shook her head in agreement with what he said. Mahado made a 'tsk tsk' sound and lifted the flower that she was holding. "He's an idiot."

"Wait, what? Who?"

"The Young Master of course. He cares for you a lot and doesn't say anything." Mana held in her laugh and refused to roll her eyes at the very notion. "You know, being a guy I can kinda get him. I mean, I know what it's like to be completely smitten for a girl who can't stand the sight of you."

The corner of Mana's mouth twitched, not really knowing what he was getting to. "Are you saying Atemu... likes me?" She could barely bring herself to finish the sentence. "Di-Did he tell you that?"

Mahado shook his head. "No, but I know him really well so I can just tell. And he chose an interesting way of letting you go."

"What are you talking about?"

"One time when Isis and I were still on the dating phase, I took her to a greenhouse which made her happy but bored me to tears. I learned two things that day. The first," He twirled the flower and placed it on Mana's lap, "was that black roses mean death, farewell or the end. So I'm guessing that he already knows your feelings and decided to finish the relationship you two have. Thereby ending it."

Mana clutched onto the stem of the rose, happy that there were no thorns to prick her. "What's the second thing?"

Mahado smiled. "Botany is really, really boring." Both shared a laugh at this. This was one of the things Mana loved about Mahado, he always knows what to say to make her smile. "Hey um, you left your clothes here a while back so change into those real quick and I'll give you a ride back."

"Where are they?"

"Laundry room." Mana nodded and sped out of the room to sort through the laundry. _She's a great kid. _Mahado was about to take the tray away to the kitchen till he heard a loud yell.

"WHAT?!" He recognized that it was Isis and ran out of the room to the living room which was where she was. "Of course, I'll be there in a few minutes." She clicked the phone off and started cursing under hear breath. "I will murder him for this."

"What happened?" Mahado asked hesitantly, not really knowing how mad she actually was.

"I have to go pick up Marik since my parents are on their second honeymoon and Rishid is too busy at the hospital."

"But school's not done yet."

Isis growled. "I know! He got into trouble, something about assisting a fight and flyers. All I know is Rishid's going to be treating him by the time I'm through with him." Isis walked out in a huff and right now, Mahado was glad that Shada was on break and Karim had the day off otherwise both would want to know more.

Suddenly his own phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocked and saw that it was the Master. "Akunamkanon-sama, what is it?" He blinked a couple of times before responding. "Could you repeat that?"

"_Both Aknadin and I have our hands tied and can't pick up Atemu and Seto._"

Mahado laughed. "Why do they need to be picked up now?"

"_Seto is suspended for the day and Atemu has been suspended for fighting._" Mahado's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "_Drop them both off and I'll be there as soon as I can to deal with Atemu. Understand?_"

"Loud and clear, sir." Mahado hung up the phone and rubbed his forehead. "Mana! Hurry up!" A few moments later, the girl came running.

"Sorry, did I take long?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not. Now let's get you home." _Those two idiots deserve to wait. Oh Atemu, what the hell is wrong with you?_

() () () () () () () () ()

Yami and Seto were now the last ones in the office out of the others that were sent as well. The first ones to leave were Bakura and Ryou and their mother looked like a force to be reckoned with. Next was Yugi and his grandpa wasn't really mad, just seemed disappointed. After him was Marik and both Seto and Yami tried to hide their faces when they saw Isis coming in. She was, without a doubt, the scariest person so far to come. Even Marik had fear in his eyes when she came in and started screaming at him and both were happy that Isis' attention was focused on Marik so she never noticed them. Now it was just them and they had been waiting for nearly 20 minutes after Marik had left. "Seto, I need you to do me a really big favor."

Seto groaned and his frown became worse. "This had better be good then. My perfect record is tarnished because of you."

"Shut up and listen!" Yami seemed to be in no mood to argue since he knew how much trouble they were both in by their dads. "Tomorrow I can't be here and Mana has to explain the flyers. So um, I need you guys to make sure she's alright and that she gets through the day."

"And if someone bothers her?"

"I don't care how you do it, but make sure **no one** bothers her."

Seto nodded and stretched his legs, uncomfortable with sitting for so long. "Okay, I'll do you the favor. But tell me something Yami, is Mana really... I mean, seriously?" Yami stared at him for a couple of seconds before nodding and burying his face in his hands. "That's... really creepy. It was the same girl right?"

"Stop talking, I'll talk later."

Before Seto could press the issue further, someone barged into the office for those two. "You idiots!"

"**Mahado!**" Both Seto and Yami yelled as he signed them out and grabbed Yami by the arm. "Mahado, let me go!"

"Not a chance! You are in a lot of trouble, both of you. Now come on, I'm picking both of you up." On their way out of the school, Mahado didn't stop his tirade at the two and kept going on how stupid their behavior was and how their fathers were going to kill them. Although he did quiet down once they reached the car.

"Mahado, I need your phone."

"Young Master, use your own."

He shook his head and removed his seat belt. "My dad will never answer the phone if he sees I'm calling him. Please, really quickly." Mahado gave in and handed it to him. Instantly, Yami started dialing the number and waited for his father to respond to him. This was a long shot but it was the only way that the whole situation would get fixed.

"_Mahado, did you get them?_"

"Dad! It's me, Atemu. I need to ask you to do something for me."

"_How dare you? You are going-_"

"I know! I'm in a shit load trouble, I know that already. Just please, hear me out right now. This favor isn't for me okay, it's for Mana."

He heard his father let out a sigh and was worried that he wouldn't answer him. "_Alright, what do you want?_"

() () () () () () () () ()

**The Next Day**

Mana grabbed a hair tie and put her hair up into a ponytail, letting some hair fall down her face for bangs. After Mahado had dropped her off, her thoughts were on the letter and what he wanted to tell her. Mana waited for as long as she could before giving up at last and went to work. She informed her boss that she would be quitting before the end of the week since she finally got the letter to Domino University. However, she couldn't think of stuff like that now. Right now, she had to go up to his house and wake him up. Mana grabbed her bag and opened the door to leave but found someone there with his hand raised up into a fist as though he were about to knock. "Yami, what are you doing here?"

"Um, I'm giving you a ride to school."

She noticed immediately that Yami wasn't wearing uniform but just regular clothes. "Wow, I woke up early for nothing. What did you... want to talk to me about?"

Yami looked way, not meeting her eyes. Mana wondered what was wrong with him since he wasn't in uniform and was acting weird too. "Now is not the time, I have to take you to school now. Come on, Mana." She closed the door and walked behind him in silence all the way to his motorcycle which was rather odd as well. Their school rules prohibited motorcycles so if he was caught with it, which he would be, Yami would be in severe trouble. He got on and handed her a helmet. She got on behind him and noticed he didn't have a bag with him at all. _Is he even going to school today?_ The ride there was silent as well since neither of them uttered a single word and it made her worry. Usually, he would tease her about anything.

Her hair, make-up or anything else that he could. That was something she kind of missed. Mana blushed and took those thoughts out of her head. _I don't miss it and I didn't like it!_ They stopped about a block from the school and then parked by a rather large tree where Seto seemed to be waiting. "Hey there. So how much trouble did you get into?"

Yami took off his glasses and sighed. "A lot. Especially when he saw the black eye."

"What?" Mana got off and finally got a good look at Yami's face. His cheeks had bruises on them and his wounded eye. "How did... when did... who..."

Yami furrowed his eyebrows and Seto laughed. "Mana, finish your sentences. They're kind of hard to understand."

"What happened to your face?" The worry was evident in her voice and her eyes as well.

"I got into a fight with Bakura yesterday... and was suspended for three days. But that's not important. I need to tell you something." Mana nodded and wondered if it was the same thing in the letter but figured it wasn't since Seto was standing about two feet away. "When you go in with Seto, don't pay attention to anyone else. Just stay close to him today. And when the principal talks to you, deny everything. No matter what he says, deny it."

Mana raised a brow at what he was saying, not understanding a single word of it. "What are you talking about?"

Yami put the glasses back on and took her helmet away. He didn't know how she would react to hearing the news. She would either break down crying or try to hurt him. It wasn't a good situation either way. "There are... pictures... of you, all over the school. Just stick with Seto and Yugi and them for the next few days and no one will bother you."

She wanted to question more but Seto grabbed her and led her away from Yami, who rode off. Mana tried asking Seto what exactly did he mean about the pictures, but he never answered. Actually, he didn't have to once they got to school and some people were whispering as they walked by. Some guys were giving her strangle looks which served to make her feel uncomfortable. _What's up with them?_ Seto walked her to the principal's office and waited outside for her. Mana went in and saw that he was sitting in his chair. "Did... did you want to speak to me?"

He nodded and handed her a piece of paper. "Is this true?" She picked up the paper and her eyes widened, gasping at what she saw. It was her stripper photo and now she understood perfectly what Yami was saying earlier. _He... he told someone. He... that bastard! That evil, selfish, prick! I fell for him and he... he told!_

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School was to be out in five minutes and Yami was parked near the front entrance so he could get Mana out of there quickly. Seto called him during break and was saying how bad Mana was doing. No one had said anything to her face, but they talked about her all day behind her back and pointing. Yami wasn't even allowed to leave the house since he was grounded till all his wounds healed, including his arm. He stuck out just to get Mana. The call he made to his father ensured that the school board never found out the scandal and it would be contained. It worked since Mana was still in school. The bell rang and some people came out, though Yami had anything but peace as some guys approached him.

"Pharaoh, you are the man!"

"Excuse me?"

"How'd you get a stripper to go out with you?"

"What? No, I-"

"Is she good in bed?"

When he heard that guy, Yami refused the urge to pummel the guy for even thinking it. Finally, Mana came out and Yami stood from his motorcycle and pushed the people aside so she could get through. "Mana, let's go." He put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged his off. Yami could tell she was in a bad mood so he tried not to say anything.

However, she did not share the same sentiment. "You're a real prick, you know that."

Yami raised a brow and chuckled, thinking she was taking her frustration out on him until he saw the tears forming in her eyes. "Mana-"

She didn't even give him a chance. "Shut up! I've met some idiots, but you are by far the worst! Do you even care about other people or are they just game pieces to you? How could you do this to me? Telling people that-"

"I did not! That was Bakura who put those-"

"And if you hadn't made me your goddamn girlfriend, all this wouldn't have happened. Do you hate me that much? Did you just want to make me miserable?" The tears fell down her face as she remembered all the things that people were calling her all day. They called her whore, slut, filthy... all kinda of horrible things. "Well, congratulations."

Mana was about to run off till Yami grabbed her by the arm. "You are not a game piece to me and I wasn't trying to make you miserable. Why would I want to ruin the girl I love?!" Yami screamed loud enough for most of the people to hear. "I've always loved you, since we first met. Please Mana, I wasn't the one who did this to you."

Her eyes narrowed as his words seemed to fuel her anger. _Love me?_ She tore herself from his grip and slapped him hard across his bruised face. "LIAR! When you love someone, you don't do what you did. You don't treat someone the way you treated me. If that's your idea of love, you can have it." Mana panted and bit her lip, hardly being able to control the next words that came out of her mouth. "I hate you Yami! You are the most despicable type of guy, the most arrogant and cruel. Why would I ever love something like you?!" Mana ran off in a huff and the crowd dissipated little by little seeing that he wasn't running after her.

Seto and Yugi came out since the others were trying to get the crowd to get lost. "Yami, say something." Seto shook him.

"Go after her, you still have time!"

_**I hate you Yami! I hate you!**_ The words repeated in his head over and over again, leaving behind a worse pain than all his wounds combined. His head was aching and his chest pounded in pain, becoming worse by the second. He pushed Seto and Yugi aside and got on his motorcycle to leave, ignoring the others screaming his name. _**I hate you Yami!**_ He hadn't expected her to return his feelings, he knew she wouldn't. But he never would have thought that she hated him. Even though he did overhear her conversation with Mahado, he knew it was the anger talking. This time, she meant it. By the time he reached his home, he saw Shada washing the car and Atemu didn't really care if he was caught. "Young Master, what are you doing out?"

Atemu left his motorcycle out and ran in, Shada running after him. "Leave me alone!" He screamed as he made his way upstairs to his room, locking the door behind him. He felt his body tremble and stabbing pain took over him by every breath he took. The sounds Shada was making on the other side seemed muffled by the echoing words in his minds. "Atemu! Open this door!"

"Shada, what are you doing?" Isis yelled and walked slowly up the stairs.

"Atemu snuck out and came back looking horrible. Get Karim and Mahado."

"To break down the door?"

"If we have to!"

Atemu rummaged through his drawers impatiently, his hands shaking with every movement. "Where is it?" Finally, he pulled out a black notebook and opened it to the next available page, writing down as much as he could before feeling something wet run down his cheeks. He dropped the materials and clutched his head, trying so hard to control himself. "It's no use... it won't stop!"

Outside the door, Mahado found a spare key and opened Atemu's door alone. Everyone thought it would be best if one person went to see him. "Atemu..." Mahado spoke softly, but he heard the stifled sobs coming from the teen. "What happened?"

"Go away..." He mumbled under his breath.

Mahado could hardly hear it. "Atemu, did something happen with Mana?"

Atemu's eyes shot open at the name as the words echoed again. "Go away!" He picked up the notebook and threw it, missing Mahado by an inch.

He closed the door and lifted the notebook. "Call his father, we need to make sure he's alright."

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Akunamkanon came into his home as quickly as he could, especially after Karim called saying that Atemu locked himself in his room and might hurt himself. He went upstairs and opened the unlocked door. "Atemu, it's me. What's wrong?"

Atemu was face down on the bed, clawing at the sheets and burying his face into a pillow. "It didn't work."

"What didn't?" The father sat on the bed and patted his son's back to try and relax him.

"Stupid psychiatrist said to write down my thoughts, but it just made it worse, I still hear her screaming at me."

"Who is?"

Atemu was trying to catch his breath, the whole even clear in his mine. "Mana, I told her I loved her and she hates me." He held the pillow and was relaxing his shaking body. "I don't blame her, after what I did..."

His father raised a brow and lifted Atemu into his arms, holding him the same way he used to when was younger. _If he's going to act like a child, I should treat him like one._ Oddly enough, his father's actions seem to calm him down a little. "Atemu, what could you have done? I thought she would be happy that the school board didn't hear about the scandal."

The boy shook his head and leaned it against his father's shoulder. "Not that."Atemu would have to tell his father the truth and he already figured what his reaction would be. "For my birthday, Seto took me out to nightclubs and one of the ones we went to was a strip club and he booked me a lap dance."

His father narrowed his eyes. "Seto did?"

Atemu nodded and realized how much trouble he put his cousin in. "Turns out, it was Mana who gave me... the dance and... I told her that um, if she didn't... didn't go out with me th-then I would tell you about her stripping job." His body shook again as the urge to cry came back and he held it back as much as he could. "It didn't even matter that I love her. She actually thinks the flyers were my fault and they kinda are. If she wasn't with me, then..."

"Atemu... I already knew that."

"... what?"

Akunamkanon chuckled and wiped the stray tear on his son's cheek. "I knew she was a stripper after she worked here for a while. I figured that if Mahado was risking his job and you put your neck on the line for her... then she must really be special."

_He knew...? Dad knew... the whole time?_ Atemu held on to his father's shirt tightly. "You must think I'm trash for doing this. I'm an embarrassment, aren't I?"

"Atemu, you are not. You just went about this the wrong way... really wrong way." He held on to Atemu tighter and felt something wet staining his shirt and knew what it was. "If you want to cry, you can. There's no shame in it." Those words were enough for Atemu to start crying on his father's shirt. Every part of his body was hurting and if the tears he were shedding was going to make him feel better, he'd cry.

Meanwhile, Shada and Karim were downstairs having their own conversation with Isis and Mahado. "You think Atemu's calmer now?"

"Of course he is. He's a big boy Shada." Karim said with confidence.

Isis looked at Mahado who was too engrossed in the notebook that was thrown at him to notice. "Mahado? What are you looking at?"

Mahado closed the notebook and stood up. "Um, I'll be back in a bit. Just got to do an errand." The others nodded and he left to his car, determined on getting the book in his hands to Mana.

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OMG! I bet half of you saw that coming so yeah. I would have posted last night, sorry about that but my dad kicked me off the computer. Anyway, I got to finish this story quickly before my trip to Panama on the 31st. Alright, next chapter you shall see mostly Mana and her feelings going through this and the significance of the notebook. Review please!


	13. Realization

Sorry for not updating sooner, I was trying to think of something really good for this chapter and that took a while. Technically, this could be considered the last chapter but it isn't because I still need to do an epilogue which will be the last chapter. Alright, all shall be revealed in this chapter! The notebook, Mana's feelings, and if they get together. Read on and enjoy! I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

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Chapter Eleven: Realization

Mana slammed her fists on her pillows over and over again. She was at her apartment at last, trying to let out as much steam as she could. This day had to be one of the longest days of her life and even worse, it would continue till school was out. Her phone was ringing and she grabbed it, trying to see who it was. She pressed the reject button once she saw it was from Mahado. At this point, she wanted nothing to do with anyone that had connections with Atemu. _He_ _loves me? After all the stupid stuff he's done, that's all he can say?! _Her thoughts were broken by the loud knocking and yelling at her door. "Mana! Open the door! Mana!"

Almost immediately, she knew it wasn't Atemu but Mahado which she thought rather odd since he had just called her. "Leave me alone!" Mana yelled back since she didn't want to talk to him.

"Mana! Don't be so stubborn, talk to me!"

"I don't want to!"

"Stop acting like a child!"

"I'm not!"

"You're like a five year old!"

"Am not!"

"Then prove it and open the door!"

She groaned loudly at the conversation, if it could be called that, they were having and knew that one of the last things she wanted was to let the other tenants start complaining about the noise. Mana got up and unlocked the door, allowing Mahado to enter her apartment. "What do you want?"

Before he answered, he took a quick look at her appearance. Her eyes were puffy and red which must've been from her crying and messy hair. "What in the world happened between you and Atemu?"

Mana raised a brow and chuckled. "Let's see, he's a despicable creature and I would be happy if I never saw him again."

"Be serious."

"I am! Do you even know what he did? He found out that I was a stripper and said that if I didn't become his girlfriend then he would tell his dad, I would get fired and so would you since you lied to him! Did you ever know that about him? Still think he's a little angel?"

Mahado leaned against the door and sighed. He wasn't about to lie to her, that was rather horrible what he did. "I'll admit, that was um... Okay, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. He's an asshole for that." The idea of Atemu threatening Mana like that, even threatening his job was almost unbelievable. Even if he knew what his ulterior motives were, it still stung to hear it. "I don't think he would've actually gone through with it."

Mana scoffed. "You'd still defend him even after what I told you? You know what, I don't even care. Just... just leave." Mana hurried to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her, already hearing Mahado on the other side.

_What is it with her and locked doors? _"Mana, come on! We just went through this, can't we just talk?" She didn't respond back and he sighed, leaning against the door. "Look, I don't condone what he did at all. I know you think he deserves to burn in the pits of hell for this and you may be right but at least hear his side."

"No!"

_Well, at least she's talking again._ "Please Mana, I hate seeing you like this."

He heard a loud groan and the door suddenly shook, meaning she probably threw something at it. "Why do you care? I'm not your family, I'm just someone you had the misfortune of hitting with your car. Stop taking pity on me!"

"Oh, for the love of god I'm not! Do you wanna know why I wanted to help you?" There was no response on the other side and he took it upon himself to continue since he figured she wouldn't interrupt him. "You remind me of my little sister, she died when we were younger and you seem so much like her. You have the same spirit in your eyes, just like her. I wanted to help you because you looked like you needed a lot of it. Is it so hard for you to accept that I had no ulterior motives?!" Once again, there was no response from her and he knew sooner or later she would listen to him. And from the looks of things, it seemed to be later. "Look, um... I want you to read this. Not throw it away or burn it, but actually read it thoroughly." He slipped it under her door and figured she wasn't going to come out until after he left. Mahado turned and proceeded to leave her apartment.

Mana looked down and saw a plain black notebook that was by the door. She walked toward it and picked it up, examining it. _It's probably nothing._ She set it aside and grabbed her phone, dialing the number to the strip joint to finally set matters straight. _This time... I'll quit._

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The next few days in school were probably some of her longest. Mana decided not to rely on the others to defend her and that got more people to say stuff around her. Sure, it hurt to hear but she couldn't keep hiding herself behind people just because they said something mean. So instead of letting it get to her, Mana held her high and refused to show weakness. However, the insults seemed to stop suddenly once the three days were up and Yami was back in school giving murderous glares to anyone that uttered a word about her. It was the first time Mana and he had seen each other in days since his father let her have a few days to sort everything out.

During homeroom, their teacher made an important announcement regarding who was valedictorian and give the speech during graduation. "Alright, it's down to Seto Kaiba and Yami Namonaki and according to the last test scores Mr. Kaiba here is our valedictorian." The class cheered for him and he stood, a smirk gracing his features.

"Thank you for the honor, but I despise giving speeches. Yami here can do that."

Yami glanced over in his cousin's direction, his eyes seeming empty. "You sure?"

"Just shut up and accept my generosity." Yami turned and gave no witty remarks like he usually would and this caused Seto to narrow his eyes in Mana's direction.

Now that class was going to continue, everyone opened their desks to get out their books. While Yami did that, he found a box inside his desk that wasn't there before. He took it out and opened it slowly, seeing it was the necklace he had given to Mana. _Of course, it just keeps coming back._ Yami shut his desk and sighed, trying to focus back on the book.

Later on, during lunch the topic on everyone's mind was the good-bye dance for the third years that was tonight. Anzu and Kisara were describing the dress they were going to wear while Duke bragged to Honda how he got one of the hottest girls in their year to go out with him. "Hey Yami, you're still going right?"

He nodded. "Have to. My dad's making me go since the stupid ticket is non-refundable so whoop-de-do." Yami muttered the last part and gulped down his soda. Yugi sighed as he saw how miserable his friend was. For the past few days, he didn't really change his mood and everyone noticed how he wasn't in good spirits like usual. All of them figured it had to be directed toward how Mana dumped him in front of everyone.

"Yami." He looked up to see what Seto wanted from him. "I'll give you a ride tonight, just come over at 7:30."

"Whatever. Excuse me you guys, I have to go do something." Yami stood up and left the table to go somewhere with more peace and quiet.

Mana ate her lunch alone in one of the music rooms that wasn't used very often. For once, she had gotten a decent night's sleep but her mind was still in shambles over the notebook that Mahado had given her. _Maybe I should take a look at it, couldn't do me that much damage._ She gasped as she heard someone enter but saw no one. _Maybe it's the next room._ Out of nowhere, she heard soft piano music resonating and all she could do was wonder who was making the lovely music. Mana stood and walked to the other side of the room, opening no more than a crack of the conjoined door. _Yami...? _She watched as his fingers moved intricately over the keys, making the song he played seem rather sad at the pace he was playing at. His eyes were returning to their usual glint in fact, Yami almost seemed to be his usual self while playing.

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Later that night, at her apartment Mana stared back at the clock then back at the notebook. Ever since Mahado had left it there, she hadn't bothered to read it but now it had gotten to the point that not only was she annoyed by it but also very curious as well. _I suppose I might as well. _She laid down her book and picked up the notebook, opening the cover and seeing the writing on the first page was messy as though it were written by a child. Mana looked at the date in the corner and realized why it was like that. It was dated back to eleven years ago.

_They say I have to write down my "thoughts and emotions" on here. I don't really understand why though. But I can guess. My dad thinks I'm crazy because of what I did a few days ago and now he has me seeing a therapist because of "doctor recommendation".... I hate this! I hate having to go to that stuffy, irritating office where that stupid woman keeps saying "I understand" when she really wants to send me to the nut house and get on with her stupid life. Yugi says my dad is forcing me to come here for my own good and Seto agrees, but in reality... I think my dad wants me in the nut house too. And now he's giving me this look, like he's mad at me all the time. I hate that look, it makes me feel like I'm a waste of space. Like my being here is a mistake. _

Mana shut it and grasped when she discovered who this belonged to. "This is Atemu's, why did Mahado...?" He told her to read it and this obviously was meant to be private, so Mahado must've had a good reason to take it and give it to her. She opened it up and continued reading to the next page.

_My dad got me a "caretaker" because he's been going on a lot of trips out of Japan lately and is worried about me. So pretty much, he hired a full-time babysitter for me. Great, not only am I under constant watch but I'm also treated like a three-year old! I'm eight years old, it's not fair. I met the babysitter, his name is Mahado Shintu and I don't really like him. He's kinda strict and doesn't let me do a lot of stuff that I usually do. It won't matter anyway, he'll probably be fired before the week ends._

She laughed at Atemu's description of Mahado. "Oh, now he's strict. That's amazing, just wow. I can't believe he's known him for that long." Mana kept flipping the pages until she found something interesting that looked to be written two years after the last entry she read.

_School was uneventful. I usually hate the new terms just because of the new students that come along and mess up the perfectly good seating chart. Like last time, I was next to Bakura and all we ever did was talk which usually got us into trouble. Then Weevil came along and I was stuck with him. God, does he ever shut up?! Didn't matter though since we don't talk anymore, I wish he would listen to me. But this time, Jounouchi got hold of the new seating chart before the term started and I'm sitting next to some girl named Mana. No fair, if I wanted to sit next to some girl I'd rather sit next to Anzu. At least Anzu's fun to talk to, then again... I've noticed that Anzu has a crush on me and I don't feel the same. I don't want to hurt her, but Yugi likes her so... maybe I should just tell her how I feel._

Her interest was sparked and she flipped the page, wondering what Atemu thought of her when he first saw her. She remembered the first day she had at that school, it was too long a day. And Atemu was ignoring her for most of the day, which she thought was completely rude. "I can't believe Anzu liked him. I didn't see that coming."

_I don't really understand this. One minute, I'm writing down the agenda like usual and the next... I see her. The new girl, the Mana Kurosaki girl. She showed up today and when I saw her, I... why couldn't I look away? I mean, she didn't seem like one of those girly-girls who can't stop talking about their nails or hair or some crap like that but seemed really nice. Actually, Mana looked kinda cute. Even her voice was cute, and when I shook her hand it felt like electricity was running up and down my veins. The rest of the day, I tried not to look at her because everytime I did it was kinda hard to look away. I don't really know why, but I want to know more about her._

Mana blushed at his words. "He... thought I was cute? Really?" Mana skimmed the next few pages until she got to another page where Atemu wrote about her.

_I think... I like her. I mean, I asked Mahado about this feeling that I get whenever I'm around her. I get nervous, my heart starts pounding, she plagues my mind every moment of the day and every time I see her I can't look away. And when I don't see her, I think about her. Mana, I really like you. I wish I could say those words, but I get too scared just by saying hello. I never told Mahado her name which was a good thing otherwise he would have teased me, but he told me that what I am feeling is natural and it means I'm growing up. And if I want to get Mana to like me back, I have to create opportunities for her and me to talk. This isn't going to be as easy at all._

"He liked me since then?" Mana remembered back to the first rose he gave her and what Isis said it meant. "I've loved you from the very first moment I saw you... Atemu couldn't have meant it..." She turned more until she got to another page involving her and figured this was during their junior year.

_Damn it! How in the world can Mana be one of the only girls in school who does not like me? I mean, every girl I pass has to giggle and gossip about me. Am I... invisible to her? Unbelievable. Yugi has Anzu, Jounouchi barely has Mai and now Seto has Kisara! Even Seto! Now my dad is hassling me about getting a girlfriend and has started introducing me to these girls who are the daughters of business associates. All horrible might I add. How am I suppose to explain to him that the one girl I want doesn't see me?_

Mana began to turn the pages to find more recent entries, as she suspected there would be if she found ones from the previous school year. She turned to one and she remembered that day. It was the day where she first stepped foot into the Montu Mansion.

_I can't believe it. Mana is... my... CARETAKER?! It was already difficult enough to have to be in the same school as her but now having to be near her in my own home! And she knows my real name too, damn it. I shouldn't have listened to Seto, I'm going to kill him but I suppose... if Mana really needs to work here then I won't stop her. Although... I sincerely doubt her and Mahado are related, otherwise he would've told me that a long time ago. I wonder what's going on between them, but more importantly I have Mana here. Seto advised me to let her work here so we can get closer and I'm not entirely sure it can work but what the hell? I'll give it a shot, after all... how bad can it get?_

The next few entries interested her much too much to stop, although she was finding out things that were just too weird. "Seto... knew he liked me? How long has he known? I... how many of them knew?"

_I'll kill him. It's the only solution. The only logical choice I have left. How dare that bastard change the design of the uniform and make Mana wear... THAT! I can barely look at her now without blushing and imagining doing... "things" to her. Mana looks so hot in that and now I have to control myself more. He does this to irritate me, I hate him so fucking much. Damn you Seto Kaiba! If it's the last thing I do, I will murder you!_

Mana laughed nervously once she read who was behind the uniform all along. "So... he did that to annoy him? I thought it was just a malfunction in the design and instead... Seto set it up! **I'll** kill him!" Mana turned harshly through the pages and found the page that showed his birthday.

_This... is weird. Today, I get a motorcycle from my dad. That's good. Then Seto and them come along and I spent the whole night in clubs with them. That's good too. Then I get a lap dance from... Mana?! What the hell?! I thought she was just some stripper and then I see her on stage and... my body reacts again. I was getting so hot just from looking at her dance so provocatively and my jealousy was getting worse when I saw all those guys cheering for her. I almost punched Duke in the face for saying he wanted to fuck her. I can't sleep now, every time I close my eyes I see her dancing on me. Reliving that same moment over and over again, my body reacting more to it. I shouldn't love her this way, it's not right. To think, she works there and those perverted freaks watch her like that. Mana deserves better._

Mana was speechless as she finished with that entry and flipped through the pages, skipping all the other stuff which probably contained his thoughts of what happened between them the last few months. "It's not true, he doesn't love me. He's lying, he must be." She repeated it and hoped her heart would believe it, but her mind barely did. Now she made it to the last written entry which had some smudges on it and was written as though the person was in a rush.

_She hates me. It doesn't matter how much I love her, that I never meant to hurt her... she hates me. I couldn't even get her to like me, let alone love me. The one girl who has plagued my mind, haunted my dreams.. my dream girl, wants nothing to do with me. I'm such a screw-up, thinking that blackmailing her will get us closer. What the hell is wrong with me? I can't even think straight around her. After today, what she said to me hurt worse than all the injuries I have. I couldn't even bring myself to run after her and instead, ran back home like the coward I am. I wish I could tell her everything, my feelings for her and that I would rather cut out my heart than see her in pain. Right now though, cutting out my heart sounds like a good option. Anything to stop this feeling..._

She shut the notebook and stared at it for the longest time, not really knowing how to react. "He loved me, ever since then. Mahado gave this to me just so I could see that? Atemu wasn't tricking me with emotions, he was..." Mana remembered how he treated her. "Atemu wasn't lying." She stood up with the notebook still in her hand and ran out of her apartment. There was no time to waste, she had to talk to him now.

() () () () () () () () ()

Mana fumbled with the keys until she found the one she was looking for. The door unlocked and she entered, shutting the door behind her as quietly as she could. _God, it feels like I'm sneaking in._ "Atemu! Where are you?" Mana called out, knowing now that she should've called ahead.

Suddenly, Isis came out with a rather big smile on her face. "Mana, you're here!" She hugged the younger girl tightly. "We were so worried about you, you never called us. Don't do that again, okay?" Mana nodded and smiled back at Isis, she was like an older sister to her.

"Um, where's Atemu?"

"Oh, he left about 20 minutes ago to that dance." Mana eyes softened and she fidgeted in her spot. _I missed my chance..._ "Is something wrong?"

Mana shook her head. "Um, no. Nothing really, I just um... never mind. I should probably go."

"ISIS! Hurry up! We don't have much time to waste, our taxi's gonna leave soon." Another voice yelled which they recognized to be Mahado's. "Seriously, what's taking so long?" He came and gasped when he saw Mana there.

"Hi." Mana shyly waved at him, but Mahado ran up to her and hugged her as well. "Missed me that much?"

Mahado laughed. "Let's just say this house is a bit quieter without you and Atemu arguing like usual. Did you read it?" Mana nodded and put the notebook down at the nearest table.

"I did and I need to talk to him soon. But I guess if he's not here, then I could come back some other time."

Before Mana could make a move, Isis took her wrist. "You shouldn't wait. Look, Mahado and I are heading toward the airport and that dance is at the convention center, right?" Mana nodded, her hopes going up. "It's on the way, so come on."

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Yami yawned loudly and stared down at his watch every few minutes. The only way he would get home was if Seto wanted to go as well. Unfortunately, the night was young and everyone was on the dance enjoying their Good-Bye Dance. "Yami, what are you doing?"

"Nothing Anzu. Just waiting till Kaiba gets tired. You having fun?"

She nodded and took the seat next to him. "I know you're going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but if you don't want to be here... you don't have to stay."

"No ride home." Yami replied bitterly and took a large sip from his drink. "I'll join you guys in a bit, okay?"

Anzu sighed, knowing she probably didn't even make a dent in his bad mood. She moved away and walked toward the entrance to get rid of her flats because now they were hurting her. They handed her a bag to put her shoes in when she heard a commotion at the entrance. "I'm not staying long, just for a couple of seconds."

"Sorry girl, you need a ticket to enter."

"Oh come on! I go to this school!"

_That's Mana!_ Anzu grabbed her handbag and walked toward Mana quickly. "Hey, she can come in!"

"No ticket, no entrance."

Mana groaned and was about to retaliate until Anzu handed the guards something. "This is her ticket, happy? I was holding it for her." The guards nodded and let her in. Anzu chuckled as Mana was dressed in shorts and a light pink T-shirt while everyone else were in formal wear. "You know, if you wanted to come so bad I could've given you a ride."

She laughed and went in further with Anzu. "Do you know where Yami is? I really need to talk to him."

"Yeah, he's near the stage. Go get him girl."

Mana blushed and began pushing her way through the crowd, finding out rather quickly that it was difficult to get through the dance floor. After what seemed to be almost an eternity, she made her way through the crowd and found Yami sitting down knocking back as many sodas as he could to stay awake. "YAMI!" She screamed but to no avail. His gaze was nowhere near her direction and it was too loud for him to hear her. She pushed her way more until she finally stood near the table. "Yami." She spoke a little loud, but it was enough for him to hear her at that distance. He looked up and gasped, his eyes widening at her sudden appearance. The words he wanted to say to her were jumbled in his throat and his mind was screaming at him to do something while his body did the exact opposite. "Um, can we-"

She was cut off by a hand on her shoulder. "You shouldn't be here."

"Seto!" There were things she wanted to say to him too, but she was too focused on what she needed to say to Yami to care about Seto at the moment.

"Now go. Yami's not in the mood to talk to you."

"I want to hear him say that to my face."

"He's too nice to say it, so I'm saying it for him."

"Kaiba!" Both Mana and Seto turned and saw Yami stand up and move Seto out of the way. "I'm going home, you take me back now." Yami pushed his way through the crowd while Seto followed since it was his car that he needed to use but what they didn't expect was for Mana to follow after them too.

"Yami, please!" She grabbed his wrist but he pulled away harshly.

"Go away! I heard you the first time around, I already know to stay away from you and never speak to you again. That's what you wanted to tell me. Waste of a trip if you ask me." Yami moved away and before Mana could stop him, Seto stepped in.

"You will not follow. He doesn't need to talk to you. So why don't you just **go** leave and not **tell him **what you need to say." He pointed toward a direction which was nowhere near the exit but closer to the stage. _What...? _Mana smiled and pushed her way through again. "Looks like she got it."

Mana ran to the stage and walked up the steps, pushing the guy away from the microphone. Yugi was near the exit and stopped Yami from leaving at Anzu's request. "Yugi, move aside. I'm leaving."

"No he's not moving and you're not going anywhere."

"Seto, stop being idiotic. Yugi, step away from the door." Yami was acting calmly, but inside he was ready to storm through his friend.

She could see him about to leave and if she wanted to talk to him, then it was her turn to make the opportunity. Mana held on tightly to the microphone and let out a heavy sigh. "YAMI YOU IDIOT!"

Everyone's attention, including Yami's, was now turned toward her. Yami's eye twitched from the surprise while the corner of Seto's mouth moved ever so slightly and Yugi chuckled nervously. "That really wasn't..."

"... what I expected." Seto finished Yugi's statement while Yami growled lowly and started making his way to the stage.

"What is wrong with you?! I say I want to talk and you ignore me, what kind of guy does that?!" Mana continued, her face hot from the embarrassment she was getting. "Do you have any idea the trouble I went through to get here? Just hear me-" Mana was cut off the moment Yami's hand covered her mouth and his arm was around her waist.

"Um, sorry about this. Ignore what she just said, it was... a joke." Yami laughed lowly and picked up the struggling girl off-stage while holding her tighter. Now instead of pushing his way, people were moving to let him through so this time he got through the convention center a lot quicker than he would have thought. Now they were outside and Mana was still struggling, almost biting his hand a couple of times but Yami held her firmly. "Seto, I need to use your car."

"Oh hell no! Call a cab."

Yami bit his lip to conceal his pain once Mana sank her teeth into his hand again. "Look, I need to get her home now so for once stop being an ass!"

"I am not being an ass! If I don't get this car home, my dad's gonna kill me. Considering I'm already grounded till he decides when, I'm not taking that risk of getting into more trouble."

Seto and Yami continued their argument until Seto felt a tug on his sleeve and saw it was Kisara. "Yami, you can use the car."

"He will not!"

"Seto, you can just tell your dad there was an emergency. I'll call a car for us." Seto was completely uncomfortable with the idea of his girlfriend having to give them a ride, but if he argued further with her it would probably escalate into something worse.

He sighed and nodded, giving the signal for Yami to get into the car. "Tell the driver to take us to Mana's apartment." Yami gave Seto the address and he opened the door to let Mana in, but her struggles caused him to fall on her. "Will you stop moving?"

"Will you let me talk?"

"I don't want to hear it." The door was slammed shut while Yami was trying to move off of her. "I'm taking you home and that's that. There's nothing that needs to be said." Yami finally got off of her and was sitting on the other side, being careful not to touch her.

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The whole trip was rather quiet since every time Mana had tried to talk to Atemu, he replied saying that he had no time to hear it. When they finally reached their destination, Atemu had a hell of a time getting Mana out of the car. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her out of the car with him going out first. "You can leave." He muttered to the driver, who all too willingly left. Once Atemu finally turned, he saw that it wasn't Mana's building but his house. _What the...? _He was sure he told Seto to... he put two and two together and figured that Seto told the driver his address and not Mana's. _Damn it! I will murder him tomorrow. _"Mana, come on." Atemu put her down and grabbed her wrist, dragging her up the steps and inside the house.

"What are we doing here?"

"Blame Seto. Now, wait here while I get someone to give you a ride." Atemu stepped deeper into his house and began to call out for people. "KARIM! ISIS! MAHADO! SHADA! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!" There was no response from anywhere and it was slightly disturbing to him that he was alone with Mana. To him, it was an unacceptable situation. Atemu took out his phone and dialed a number, waited till someone finally answered. "Dad! Where is everyone?"

"_Shada is here with me in London. Karim went off for the weekend to Tokyo and I'm pretty sure Isis and Mahado left to Kyoto. Why?_"

Atemu's eye twitched in irritation once he figured out the situation he was actually in. "No reason. Bye." He hung up the phone and stared back at Mana. "Alright, looks like I'll have to call you a cab."

"Oh really?" Her tone was a questioning one. "Why don't you do it yourself?"

"Because my dad took all the spare keys with him. I'm grounded till all my wounds heal."

Mana raised a brow and stepped further into the house, thinking that this would be her golden chance to talk to him. "Your face looks better. Even your eye. What isn't?"

Atemu paused for a few seconds, wondering if the conversation he was having with her was even okay to have. "... my arm. It's still healing. Look um, I have a specific idea of what you want to talk about."

"You do?" Mana seemed rather surprised at his statement. _Did he already figure out that I read the notebook and wanted to know if it was true? How could he have known? I didn't even say anything yet!_

"You came here to tell me how much you despise me, how much you hate the very sight of me. And to stay away from you. Don't worry, I intend to do just tha-" The slap across his face stopped him from speaking further, not to mention also sparked his anger.

Mana growled lowly and put her hand down, seeing that he was finally quiet. "That wasn't what I was going to say. Did you mean it when you said you loved me? Like, really?"

His eyes narrowed and he looked off in another direction, trying to avoid that question. Every time he remembered what he said to her, the only thing that came back to him were the words she had said to him. _**I hate you Yami!**_ He had spent nearly the last week and a half trying to forget that as much as he could. But since there was no justice in the world, that same phrase haunted his mind night and day. "No, I didn't. I was caught up in the moment, that's all."

She sighed and hid her smile. Mana knew the truth and that was far from it. "That's not what I read. Not even close."

"What?" _Did she say read?_ "What do you mean?"

"Your little notebook, Mahado gave it to me." Atemu blushed heavily and listened intently now as Mana started up again. "In there, you told a rather different story." The corners of her mouth curled up into a smile as she remembered the first entry that included her. "Was it really love at first sight with you? I mean, back then even... did you really think I was cute?"

His voice strained more and he turned away from her, his face reddening by the moment. _How in the hell did she get that?_ For the past few days, he had been looking for it but had no success. Was that what he threw at Mahado? "Uh..."

"Though I must say, you wanting me to work here just so you could get me to fall for you wouldn't have worked. Why would I fall for someone I work for? Seto's plan was ridiculous." Atemu was dumbfounded by what she knew. _How much of that did she read? Please God, say she didn't!_ "However, yours was stupider. Instead of telling me your feelings, you blackmail me and hope I would fall for you? What kind of hare-brained scheme was that?"

_She read that far..._

"What was wrong with telling me how you felt? Why did you do that? Give me a reason Atemu!" He turned and pushed her against the wall, his body trapping hers.

Mana looked into his eyes and saw the hurt in them, also the embarrassment that was on his face. "Do you have any idea... how difficult it is to be around you? Every time I look at you, even get near you my mind gets into this frenzy and my body heats up to the point where it's suffocating. I did that only to get rid of my feelings. I thought if I could steal away a touch or kiss, then I would be satisfied and be able to forget you. But instead, it becomes worse and I ended up craving you. I know it was a stupid and horrible plan, but I cannot think when I'm near you." Atemu hesitantly brushed his fingers against her cheek before pulling away. "How much of it did you read?"

"Um... I kinda skipped a lot."

He chuckled and pressed his lips against her ear. "Did you read about the recent Christmas? How the gloves weren't lost, but I refused to use them because I deserved the cuts on my hands." Mana's eyes widened when she heard that, recalling the message and thought it was sweet but not from the heart. "The only reason I didn't react was because you said it was just okay. I was utterly broken at that point, and what I told you on the boat was a lie. I wanted you not because I wanted my dad to stop bothering me, but because I loved you. And our date... that was rather fun. You even kissed my cheek, willingly I might add." He lowered his head more and nuzzled his nose on her neck, Mana bit back a moan. Was she really reacting to his words?

"Atemu... don't tease me. Just tell me whether or not your feelings are real. Your actions and words are opposites, please... just tell me the truth."

He moved away from her and gripped her hand, going down on his knees. "Let me formally confess to you then. Mana Kurosaki, I've loved you since the moment our eyes met in that 5th grade classroom. You are the only girl I have ever wanted, past and present. I know that what I did to you was horrible and I don't deserve your forgiveness but if you are ever willing to give me a second chance, I will be more than happy to prove my worth. Please Mana, I'm not lying to you. Not this time." He pressed his lips lightly on her palm and she blushed, trying not to gaze directly at his eyes which were looking right at her.

She snatched her hand back and moved away from him, knowing the truth now and weighing in her options of leaving. Now the emotions inside her were coming out and they were more confusing than before. One part of her wanted to hold and kiss him, confess her love and forgive him while the other half wanted to reject him, scream at him for even daring to confess to her and kick him to the curb. All of it was too difficult to think. "Atemu, um... I can't forgive you."

"I wasn't asking for it." He said lowly and stood back on his feet, knowing what the next words that were about to come out of her mouth. _She'll reject me now, tell me she couldn't possibly love an asshole like me. Just say it already._

"Let me finish. While I can't forgive you now or ever, I want... to give you another chance. I mean, you did all these ridiculous and pointless things to get my attention all because you were too scared to be rejected. This time, if I'm to accept you then I want you to be truthful this time. No tricks, no foolery just plain, old you. You don't deserve this chance but I-" His lips were on hers, stopping her in mid-sentence and erasing any other thoughts she had in her mind.

He broke the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up so her feet were off the ground and she could look down on him. "You talk too much." He kissed her again, much softer than before and Mana returned the kiss shyly. "You won't regret this, I swear. This... you have no idea how happy you made me." Atemu's grin was that of a four-year olds during Christmastime.

"How about you take me home?"

"In a bit. First, tell me how you feel about me."

"No." Her face was redder than a tomato at this point and she struggled to be put down until Atemu walked further down until he set her down on the couch, trapping her beneath him. "Get off of me!"

"Tell me your feelings first, and then I will."

The only way to get him off was to say her feelings and her mind was turning toward one side. After everything she had been through, her heart and mind were agreeing for once. Out of all the times they had been placed in a situation like this, it never turned out good. But this time... it felt different. "I... I like you. I really like you. I might even..." She tried to avert her gaze, but Atemu held her head in place so she had no choice but to look at him directly. This would be the first time she admitted her feelings, even to herself. How could she hide it anymore? "I love you."

Atemu grinned again and brushed his lips against hers so softly, it was barely considered a kiss. "I will ask you again this time, with no contracts or deal-breakers. Will you be my girlfriend?"

They stood up to a normal position, his arm still around her waist and his other hand on her cheek. "Atemu Yami Montu..." She brushed her lips against his as well. "You are... my boyfriend." They fell back and kissed again, not really knowing how long they were going to stay in that position and not really caring either. All either of them knew was that there was no more false pretense, no more tricks or lies or blackmail.

Just him and her.

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OMG! I'm pretty satisfied with this ending and because I'm a stickler for these kinds of things, there shall be an epilogue which will be posted in the next couple of days. Tell me how you liked it! Review please!


	14. Epilogue

Alright, here is the official last chapter of this story! The first half is in Atemu's POV then the second half is in Mana's. I've had so much fun writing this and I'm very glad my first story on this site turned out so good. So um, without further ado here is the chapter! -sighs- I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and blabbity blah blah.

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Epilogue

She loves me.

Even after everything that I put her through, she actually returns my feelings. I don't know what to say anymore. For the longest time, I thought this would never happen. Her in my arms like this, actually returning my kisses and enjoying my touch... it's almost too good to be true.

But this time, it is true.

I wonder what would've happened if I told her I loved her from the very beginning. Would she have rejected me or have given me a chance? I'll never know but it doesn't really matter anymore. Right now is all I care about. I want to be with her for as long as possible, even if she pushes me away again.

Though I sincerely doubt Mana will do that.

What I didn't expect was the way I was reacting at that moment when we were laying on the couch. First we're just kissing and the next thing I know, my hand is traveling up under her shirt and I hear her let out the cutest sound.

However, she tells me to stop and that she's not ready for that. I blush like crazy for even trying and that's about as far as we go. I'm not in a rush and neither is she, though I can't say I wasn't the least bit tempted.

But I'm not going to ruin things between us, especially since this will be the only chance I'm going to have. This time, I'll do everything... no, anything to keep her love.

That much I can guarantee.

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I never once thought those words would come out of my mouth.

Before this all happened, I never imagined that I would end up in Atemu's arms let alone loving him. Hell, I didn't even notice him so much except as someone that was in my class. Then I thought of him as nothing more than a selfish and evil brat who doesn't know what the word 'no' means. How odd that he's the only one I want right now.

I don't plan on letting him go or pushing him away again. Even if he is a manipulative brat who's used to getting his way, I wouldn't want him any other way. Atemu's not perfect, but I never asked him to be nor will I.

Even after he took me home, whatever hour that was, I must've made him stay with me for a bit longer just because I wanted us to be closer. I didn't want to let him out of my arms or to let go of me, I suppose I'm greedy as well.

A few months back or even a few weeks ago, I wanted nothing to do with him. To me, Atemu was evil and manipulative and spoiled and a liar and whatever bad word that comes to mind. I even said I hated him.

Now, I want him so bad it nearly hurts me. I can imagine being with him and nothing more.

I don't hate him anymore; it's the complete opposite in fact.

I love him.

The End

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Whoohoo! First story complete!! Thanks to **everyone** who read and reviewed this story, it really means a lot to me! So um, for my next story... if anyone wants to read an 'M', bad boy Atemu, and Vaseshipping then see my next story "Harem Girls" which should be out after I get back from vacation! Review please!


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